As we come to Isaiah 40, we enter the third and last major section of the book and here, the message changes. We’ve seen lots of gloom and doom, but now the message of Isaiah grows brighter. Throughout the previous chapters, God has had a plan for His people – a plan to punish them for their sins. Now, we see another side to that plan: a plan to bless.
No matter how sinful they became, God would not forget His people. He would never cast them off forever. With each succeeding generation comes the hope for a more faithful people, and God is looking forward to them. He has fertile level ground for them as well as the revelation of His glory in a way they can never imagine. They will draw on His strength and their power will not diminish with age, but grow. God Himself, who created all things and whose greatness and trustworthiness knows no bounds is guaranteeing it.
The Gospel preached by Jesus heralded the arrival of that time.
But why have we not seen it?
Some have. Others, for whom these blessings are intended, have yet to prepare themselves by taking the desert road, the one that leads away from the glory and ease offered by the world, away from the allure of the marketplace’s temporary riches, to a life bereft of everything but God. Only when that road is taken will you be able to enter the highway of God that leads to eternal blessings.