Prison is not a comfortable place.

One prisoner recounts his life at the Thumb Correctional Facility, a lower-level security prison in Michigan:

At 1:30 a.m. he is awoken for work, monitoring and counseling a suicidal inmate. Three hours later, he returns to an itchy wool blanket to sleep.

When he wakes again, he shares a shower with 48 other inmates. He has breakfast and lunch by microwave, to stay clear of the dangerous chow hall. Dinner is consumed in a rush. Then for two days’ worth of pay, he gets a 15 minute phone call with his mom.

Discipline isn’t comfortable.

When God delivered the Israelites over to Babylon for breaking His laws, they were marched 500 miles. Their city was demolished. Forced to serve the Babylonian king, they remained exiled for the seventy years they had broken God’s Sabbath (and other laws).

But when their time was served, God came to them with a verbal hug through Isaiah. “Come home. Rebuild your lives. Take comfort.”

The Israelites, repentant convicts, sorry sinners of all sorts, need comfort after discipline. God loves us in spite of what we have done. He loves our sorry hearts, too. As we accept His comfort, in return, we can extend comfort to the repentant people around us.