Daily Christian Devotional

9 December, 2025

Isaiah 40.1-11, Psalm 96.1, 10-end, Matthew 18.12-14

“Comfort, comfort my people,” says the Lord through Isaiah. These words are spoken not to the triumphant, but to the weary and displaced. God does not deny the reality of hardship; instead, he comes near, speaking tenderly and promising that the way through the wilderness will be made straight. The Lord arrives with power, yet gathers the lambs in his arms and gently leads those who are with young. Strength and compassion meet in God.

Psalm 96 calls the whole earth to sing this good news. God’s reign is not a private consolation but a public joy. Creation itself rejoices as the Lord comes to judge the world with righteousness and truth. This judgement is not fearful destruction but the setting right of all that has gone astray.

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus reveals the heart of this coming God. The shepherd does not abandon the one who wanders off. He searches, rejoices, and refuses to accept loss as inevitable. In God’s kingdom, no one is expendable.

As Christians, we are formed by this pattern of comfort and calling. We receive God’s consolation, and we are sent to share it. In a world still marked by wilderness and wandering, may we trust the Shepherd’s care and join the song of hope, proclaiming that the Lord comes to save.