Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing. (Isaiah 35:5-6)

Two verses of the prophet seem to fully anticipate the miracles of Jesus. They are part of a chapter describing the land and people restored and fertile.

Isaiah urges, "Say to those with anxious heart, "Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with strength." (Isaiah 35:4)

I believe that in Jesus our God has come in strength. He is truly Emmanuel, God with us.

In our fears, toil, troubles, joys, and in every hope God is with us. In relationship with God our life may be transformed and made whole.

There is nothing in the life or death of Jesus that suggests our life is to be easy. But even - perhaps especially - in the depths of pain, God is with us.

This verse of Isaiah is a brief stanza in the aria Rejoice Greatly performed by the Peabody Institute Symphony and Chorus.

Above is a detail of Healing the Blind Man by El Greco.