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Friend, comfort my people!

Isaiah 40:1-2;30-31 Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. 2  Speak lovingly to the heart of Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is done, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received of Jehovah's hand double for all her sins. 

9  Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” 

30  Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;  31  but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. 

The month of Elul is not only marked by the daily blast of the shofar and the reciting of Psalm 27, but also by the prophetic readings from Isaiah known as the Haftarot of Consolation (Isaiah 40-63). These seven portions, read in the weeks between Tisha B’Av and Yom Teruah (the Feast of Trumpets), are God’s love-songs to Israel — words of mercy, hope, and restoration after judgment.

Isaiah’s voice still resounds through the centuries: “Comfort, comfort My people …” These cries remind Israel — and all who are grafted in through the Messiah — that God has not abandoned His people. Instead, He calls His Bride, His watchmen, to proclaim comfort, to intercede for Israel’s redemption, and to stand for the restoration of Jerusalem.

Isaiah 40 opens with a double commission: “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.” Judgment gives way to tenderness, exile to mercy. The King is not shouting in wrath but whispering in love. So too, the shofar blast of Elul is not only a summons to repentance — it is also an invitation to receive comfort.

The Lord declares: "Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news … say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God!’" (Isaiah 40:9). The call to comfort is inseparable from the call to behold Him — and to make Him known. It is not just God’s promise; it is our assignment. As the prophetic Bride, we are called to rise as watchmen, to proclaim His mercy over Israel, to cry out for her salvation, and to give the Lord no rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes her a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62:6–7).

This calling is not without cost. It requires perseverance, intercession, and unwavering devotion. But here is the promise: "He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. … They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:29, 31).

Friend, the King is in the field. The Bridegroom is calling. The shofar is sounding. Let us take up our role as the prophetic Bride — comforting Israel, interceding for Jerusalem, awaiting the redemption of Zion, and drawing supernatural strength from the One who never grows weary. The Bridegroom is coming soon. Be awake. Be radiant. Be ready.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George, Baht Rivka, Elianna and Obadiah
George & Baht Rivka (Macon, Georgia), Obi (Baltimore, Maryland), Elianna (Married living in Missouri)

Editor's Note: This devotional is part of an ongoing Elul series. If you’ve just joined us, or happened to miss some earlier entries, I encourage you to start with the first one from August 25th. Each devotional builds on the last as we journey together through the month of Elul, preparing our hearts for the Fall Feasts — beginning with Yom Teruah (the Feast of Trumpets) and culminating in the Feast of Tabernacles.