“Comfort, comfort my people,” says the Lord. With those words Isaiah points to a shift in his prophecy: from a proclamation of judgment to a proclamation of comfort, from the law of the Old Testament to the gospel of the upcoming New Covenant. To prepare the people for this comfort, He would send a person to prepare the people for this upcoming change. We know that person to be John the Baptizer, the one who challenged the people to repent of their sins to be prepared for the coming kingdom of God.
As this advent season wraps up, what do you still need to do to prepare spiritually for Christmas? Is there some sin, some broken relationship, or some wrong that you need to repent? Take a few moments extra today in prayer, asking God to lead you to repentance. Confess your sins, turn your back on them and walk away from them. Be prepared to celebrate the coming of the Christ child!