Comfortable Words: a call to restoration: Reflections on Isaiah 40–55

by Steven Croft

‘Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God…’ Through nine reflections, Steven Croft examines what these ‘comfortable words’ have to say to us. Each reflection begins from a passage of scripture taken from Isaiah 40—55: the song of an unnamed prophet who sings at the end of the exile to call God’s people home. The prophet sings of love and forgiveness, of new hope and strength in God, to rekindle courage in the hearts of God’s people. The prophet sings of a new kind of leadership, based on humility and gentleness. The prophet sings to tell us not to be afraid even in the face of death. These are comfortable words the whole world needs to hear afresh in this season.

85 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 19, 2021

Reviews

[Felix U-O · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's always worthwhile spending time in the company of the Bible. In such a strange, anxious, uncertain time it is well worth looking back at the context in which various scriptures were written and this book has some interesting reflections.

However, it does basically read like a podcast, without a lot of substance. It's just a bit thin really, especially for such rich source material.

For some reason I also really don't like the "comfortable" word, although it was eventually explained it as a CofE-ism.

[Lydia Saul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really well researched, well written, with many thought provoking and deep insights, knowledge and wisdom. I particularly enjoyed the way Stephen helped to bring attention to its relevance today as we come out of lockdown. It seemed particularly appropriate with today being Pentecost.Timeless and indeed comforting in a world with so much uncertainty we find ourselves in.