The promise of Advent brings hope in hard places. All throughout the Scripture story, God’s people find themselves in the throes of difficulty, suffering, and injustice. But they also find God there as well, with them through the bitter beginnings until the better end. Their hopes are realized through freedom from slavery, return from exile, and the surprising arrival of the long-expected Messiah. Let’s explore this journey of hope together through the framework of a classic Advent Scripture text, Isaiah 40:1-5.

1 | Hope is Comfort

The prophet Isaiah is one of the key voices in Advent. Each year at this time, we turn to his voice and vision as he points ahead to Christ’s arrival. His words at the start of chapter 40 mark a breakpoint in the entire book. Isaiah 1-39 is most characterized by the prophet’s warnings of God’s judgment and proclamations of exile. The prophet’s imagery and vivid language describe the epitome of “hard places.”

Yet, in Isaiah 40:1, we see the story take a turn. God reminds his people that even as they find themselves in darkest difficulty, God will not abandon them. He will be with them. He will comfort them in their pain. He will be their Hope in hard places.

Humans are shockingly resilient. There is something in our make up that finds the strength to persevere when there is hope on the horizon. Prisoners of war or tyranny; enslaved people on the journey to freedom; lost at sea or in the wild; an entrepreneurial dream or athletic competition; sickness, tragedy, addiction, or disaster. Human history is filled with stories of people who refused to give up, hanging on and pushing forward because of hope. While those stories are awe inspiring, this hope we’re talking about today is not the universal instinct to believe things can get better. It is not will power to keep crawling ahead. It is the gift of a God with an unbroken track record of faithfulness. It is more than resilience. It is the biblical anomaly of trust in the one who can and will keep every promise. It is comfort in the thick of it all, knowing that he is with you, no matter what you face.

God does, indeed, lead them out of exile. And in the fullness of time, he fulfilled their ultimate hope by sending Jesus, the Messiah. But in the space between, he gave them more than words to hang on. He gave them the comfort of hope.

2 | Hope is Calling

Verse 3 captures one of the key prophecies associated with Advent, and particularly with the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. “A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’”

This prophecy is later fulfilled as John the Baptist becomes this voice in the wilderness. He echoes this Old Testament imagery as he begins his mission in the desert, preparing the way for Jesus. For those with eyes to see and ears to hear, the ancient words of Isaiah came alive right before them.

John was a controversial figure in his day. And for many good reasons. He was a firebrand preacher, dressed in wild clothes, eating odd food. His sharp words hit their mark, angering both the religious and political establishments of the time. He was confrontational and radical in his approach. As if preaching in the wilderness wasn’t strange enough, he also baptized people in the Jordan River, calling for all to repent and believe. And the crowds came out to see the commotion.

But they didn’t just come out to see. They came out to hear. They were drawn more to the message than to the man. John famously pointed people away from himself, toward the central figure of the story. The purpose of his ministry was not to build a stage for himself, but to pave a highway for the arrival of the Messiah.

As we enter this Advent season, that voice is still ringing. Can you hear it? Hope is calling. That voice in the wilderness is cutting through the noise that clamors for our attention this time of year. That voice is inviting you to prepare the way, in your own heart and mind, for Jesus to be the center of it all.

Hope is calling.
Will you hear?
Will you answer?

3 | Hope is Coming

The passage ends with an inspiring vision of the future. Hope is coming.

“Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

This depiction of what is ahead would have resonated with the people. Since much of their existence had been an uphill climb, this image of mountains made low and rough ground made level hit home. But there is more to this than the transformation of a landscape. This isn’t about making the travel a little easier. Instead, the picture here is of a God who is making his way toward us. And he is clearing out every single obstacle in the path. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will stand in his way or hold him back. Hope is coming.

This is for people who were nomads in a foreign land, for people who spent generations wandering in the wilderness, for people who were dragged away into exile. This time, they will not have to search for their way back home. The Way is coming to them.

Though our stories here and now are different, the hope is still the same. Our wandering and exile days are over. Our search has come to an end. We have been found. Advent reminds us that the Savior is making his way to us. Hope is coming.

Here at the start of the Advent season, we open up our hearts to hope. In the thick of our difficulties, we embrace that God’s hope is comfort. We listen for the Spirit’s voice to cut through the noise, because we believe that hope is calling. And as we anticipate the arrival of Jesus, we proclaim that hope is coming.