After hearing the news that his only son had died in a car accident, a father cried out, “Lord, have mercy. Lord, where are You? I need You now more than ever.” A young mother with three children, upon learning that her cancer was terminal, prayed the same prayer.
When we endure trials and tribulations; when we suffer from sickness or a sudden accident; we cry out, “Lord, have mercy. Lord, where are You? I need You now more than ever.”
Today we learn that, even in our fallen world, God does care for us. He comforts us with His Gospel and with the healing balm of forgiveness. Christ is present with His Word and in His Supper, and through them He gives us a peace which the world can never give.
During the time of the prophet Isaiah, God’s people were not asking, “Lord, where are You?” In fact, they cared very little about Him. They did not think they needed Him. They believed that they could survive on their own.
Where was God? He was present in His temple, hearing their prayers, receiving their sacrifices, and forgiving their sins. Yet the people worshiped the idol gods of the Canaanites. They built altars to Baal, and they turned away from the one true God.
Through the prophet Isaiah, God warned the people that if they did not turn from their sinful ways, He would send the Babylonians to take them into exile. Isaiah proclaimed, “Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the Lord” (Isaiah 39:6).
Isaiah called the people to repentance. He called them turn from their evil ways and to trust in God’s promises, especially the promise of the coming Savior. Yet they refused to repent. They rejected God’s Word and continued in their wickedness.
Advent is a time of repentance. It is a time to confess our sins of pride, anger, jealousy, and of self-centeredness and to denounce the idols in our lives. We are to confess our sins and we are to live by faith in the forgiveness of sins. Repent and believe in the righteousness found in Christ alone.
In due time, God’s warning came true. In 587 B.C., the king of Babylon destroyed much of Jerusalem. The temple was torn down, its golden vessels carried away, and the people were led into captivity. They lived as exiles in a foreign land.
In Babylon, God’s people finally realized that they were wrong and that God was right. At last, they asked, “Lord, where are You?” They wondered, “Has God left us? Will He pardon our iniquity? Will He forgive our sin?”
Isaiah 40:1-2 reads, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has receive from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”
While the people were in exile, a preacher spoke words of comfort. He spoke tenderly to them. God identified them as “my people” and declared that He is their God. The Gospel came to them in words.
What was the message? The preacher cried out that, because of the coming Savior, their warfare with death was ended. Their iniquity was pardoned, and they had received from the Lord’s hand an abundant amount of grace for all their sins.
These words were a source of deep comfort for the exiles in Babylon. They were a message of consolation to the captives. God had not abandoned them. He had pardoned their iniquity. He forgave them on account of the coming Savior. These words were pure Gospel to their ears.
God’s people in Babylon repented of their sins. They received God’s forgiveness and trusted in the coming Savior. When their seventy years of captivity ended, they returned to their homeland, rebuilt the temple, and worshiped the true and living God. Where was God? He was present again in His temple.
This shows us that God is not only a God of judgment, but also a God of mercy. He addresses His people with the Law, but He also speaks words of Gospel. He exposes sin, yet He also forgives it.
Isaiah 40:3 says that “A voice cries in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord.” Isaiah is saying that someday, a prophet will come and will prepare the way for the Savior. This voice—this prophet—is John the Baptist. He preached. He spoke words. He called the people to repent and to trust in the forgiveness of sins.
This is also how God deals with us. There is judgment if we remain in unbelief, and the call to repent goes out to us as well. Yet there is mercy on account of Jesus. We confess our sins, and there is absolution. The Law shows us our sin, and the Gospel shows us our Savior. There is death, and there is resurrection.
Our text reveals the reality of sin and death. It reminds us that just as “the grass withers and the flower fades,” so also, we are all mortal. We are sinful by nature, and we live in a fallen world.
Life is filled with troubles. We suffer from sickness, accidents, arthritis, and aging. There is stress at work. Especially at this time of year, there is the pressure of preparing for Christmas. We endure family struggles and financial worries—and the list could go on.
Just as the grass withers and the flower fades, so we too wither and fade. Visit a nursing home, a hospital, or a cemetery, and this reality becomes clear. Look in the mirror and add up your years. You are not getting any younger.
The grass withers and the flower fades, and so do the great civilizations of the past. Egypt, Babylon, Greece, and Rome have all come and gone. Their ruins remain for archaeologists to study and tourists to photograph. The great kings and kingdoms of history have faded away.
So too, your home and your car will not last forever. Like cut grass, we will someday wither and die. Like a fading flower, we will return to the dust from which we were taken.
Yet there is one thing that will last forever. Isaiah 40:8 says, “The word of our God will stand forever.” It will never pass away. It is our guiding light in a dark world.
This eternal Word entered our world. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem. The eternal Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus is both God and man.
Where is God? He was present in the womb of the virgin Mary. He was present as a baby lying in the manger. He is the One to whom John pointed and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Jesus gave sight to the blind, made the lame walk, cleansed lepers, opened deaf ears, raised the dead, and preached good news to the poor.
His goal was the cross, and nothing was to hinder Him. The valleys were filled, the mountains and hills made low, the crooked places made straight, and the rough places smoothed. Nothing stood in the way of Jesus’ journey to the cross—not the devil’s temptations, not rejection by His own people, not even the unbelief of His disciples.
At the cross, He shed His blood as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. God laid the punishment for our sin upon His Son.
Where is God? He was present on the cross, carrying the valley of our sin upon His shoulders. He took upon Himself our mountain of pride and hill of selfcenteredness.
Just as the grass withers and the flower fades, so also, Jesus died and was buried. But on the third day He rose from the dead. His resurrection brought life and light into our world of death and darkness.
God has given you a preacher to speak God’s Word, to call you to repentance, and to proclaim the Gospel. The preacher uses words. He speaks. What is the message? Because of the cross and the empty tomb, your iniquity is pardoned. You have received a double portion of forgiveness for all your sins. Because of Christ’s resurrection, your warfare with death is ended. Because Christ lives, you too shall live. And when you will walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you will fear no evil, for Christ will be with you.
The father who lost his only son was comforted in knowing that, because of Jesus, his son lives. The mother suffering from cancer knows that through faith in Christ, eternal life is hers.
So also, for you. The Gospel changes your life for the better. You no longer live in fear, but with faith toward God. You love and care for others. Your faith is reflected in how you live. You do good works for the sake of your family and your neighbor.
Where is God? He is present here in this house of worship. Here, God comforts—yes, comforts you with His Gospel. Through the voice of a preacher, God announces that your sins are forgiven. Here in this place, the Good News of Christ’s death and resurrection is proclaimed. At this altar, you receive from the Lord’s hand the comfort and strength you so desperately need.
Christ is your Shepherd. He feeds you. He washes you and He gathers you into His fold.
So, if you have lost a loved one in the faith, if you suffer from despair or hopelessness, if death stands before you, if the devil troubles you, or if you suffer from disease, God is your comfort. His Gospel gives you peace. He is your refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice because Christ is with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Amen.
