Fulfillment of God’s Promises
Hundreds of years before Jesus, the people of God were in trouble.
They were stuck in life, unable to help themselves, and perhaps beginning to doubt that God would save them. Have you ever felt the same way? If so, you might relate to the original audience of this verse—the exiles in Babylon.
The Babylonians took their land and sent them hundreds of miles away. Maybe they thought God had abandoned them or that He couldn’t hear their cries. But God is always present and He’s always close.
Isaiah let his people know that God would provide a way out of Babylonian captivity. And God kept His promise, allowing His people to return home.
Generations later, many of God’s people saw themselves as being in a new exile. They were home, but all was not well. So they remembered this verse and its promise—that no matter how dark or desperate our situation might be, God is able to provide a path out of brokenness, heartbreak, and despair into a whole, healthy future.
Little did they know that an even more permanent solution to the darkness they lived in was coming. Isaiah 40:3 is a prophecy that was not only fulfilled when the exiles left Babylon and went home, but was also fulfilled in the coming of the Messiah. Through Jesus, God paved a permanent path for people to come out of darkness and find hope, strength, and peace. God provided a permanent way out of darkness and into light.
So what are you going through? What’s your “Babylon?” It might be a habit you can’t break, a loved one who keeps making self-destructive decisions, or a mental health challenge that feels overwhelming. No matter what it is, God can and will make a way out of brokenness and into life.
He Won't Leave You
Do you ever feel like life has knocked the breath out of you? If so, you’re not alone. In fact, it’s no secret that this world is full of both goodness and trouble.
King David, whose life was recorded in various parts of the Old Testament, was highly accustomed to trouble—constantly threatened by legitimate enemies and faced with the reality of impending death.
Yet, inspired by the Holy Spirit, he wrote:
“The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.”
Psalm 34:19 NLT
If there’s one thing you can depend on, it’s that God is alive, active, and ever-present in your life—yes, even the hardest parts of your life.
But who is the “righteous person” David speaks of in this particular Psalm, when other parts of the Bible say things like, “no one is righteous—not even one”? (Romans 3:10, Psalm 14:3). There’s a trick to understanding this at-first-glance contradiction:
Righteousness can’t be achieved, but it ...