Speak Comfort to Jerusalem Isaiah 40:1-8

"Comfort, yes, comfort My people! Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received double for all her sins."

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places made smooth; the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

The voice said, "Cry Out!" And he said, "What shall I cry?" "All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of the Lord stands forever."

The word of the Lord, now through faith in Jesus Christ, believing in Him, raises up those who are intimidated to deny not His name; brings low those confident in their flesh, turning their confidence from their supposed ability to Him; straightens the path of the double-minded; smoothing out those who are so rough that their good intentions are difficult to receive.

Those who are being conformed to the image of the Son of God recognize when they fall short as He leads them "out into the plain" from the too-high, too-low, crooked and rough. They receive James' admonishment: "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall in to various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience(perseverance). But let perseverance have perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

(James 1:2-4)

These words comfort those devoted to reconciliation to God, now through faith in Jesus Christ; those who are devoted to becoming a "fellow servant, and among the brethren who have the testimony of Jesus".

If Indeed The Spirit of God Dwells in You

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, IF INDEED THE SPIRIT OF GOD DWELLS IN YOU. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His." (Romans 8:5-9)

dwell- to live or stay as a permanent resident, reside; to exist or continue in given condition or state
(Webster's College Dictionary)

"And if Christ is IN you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But IF THE SPIRIT OF HIM WHO RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD DWELLS IN YOU, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."(Romans 8:10,11)

In the most recent study, we mentioned that the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters. When God spoke, the Spirit acted to create light. The Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary, creating the Son of God in a righteous Jewish girl. The earth had nothing to say about God's will to create (Genesis 1). We read that Mary had something to say when approached by the angel Gabriel: she didn't understand how she could conceive being a virgin. After Gabriel had explained, Mary responded to that revelation, believing. "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." (Luke 1:26-38) If Mary considered her own well-being rather than God's will, she could have doubted, believing not. She could have "made herself unready" for what God desired to bring through her. She could have been worried about what people would say. She could have been stoned for "apparent" fornication.

How is it then that Christ could be in you, yet the body dead because of sin? For we see that if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead DWELLS in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also GIVE LIFE TO YOUR MORTAL BODIES through His Spirit who dwells in you. The Holy Spirit, in the name Jesus Christ, hovers and overshadows the church. As Mary heard and agreed, so should we, to His work in us.

The Holy Spirit Hovers and Overshadows

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was HOVERING over the face of the waters. Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light." (Genesis 1:1-3)

"Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, 'Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!' But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.' Then Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I do not know a man?' And the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will COME UPON YOU, and the power of the Highest will OVERSHADOW YOU; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.' "(Luke 1:26-35)

We can see how the Highest's will is brought to pass by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. What God wills, introduces and overcomes natural phenomena. The Holy Spirit created light where there was darkness. The Holy Spirit overcame natural physical conception between mother and father to immaculately conceive the Son of God. In the new and everlasting covenant, He overcomes our souls, if we will understand and allow it. He desires to show us, and make us into His own special people, fellow servants and among those who have the testimony of Jesus. (Revelation 19:10) If we understand that and ask for Him, as opposed to what we think we want Him to do for us, the Holy Spirit "hovers" and "overshadows" to bring it forth!