The clarion call of the prophet reminds us of the ever-present danger that, whatever our profession of belief, we do in fact give our deepest allegiance to some force, value, practice or structure that is not the true God. The prophet's insistence that there is but one God unrivalled, apart from whom all is nothing, links in with the strenuous preaching of John the Baptist to remind us that in order to 'turn to God and be saved' we need to clear our hearts of allegiance to all false gods.

Just as Isaiah longed for a time when all would accept that what comes from the mouth of God 'is truth, a word irrevocable', Jesus can now point to His own deeds as showing John, the last of the prophets, that salvation has come. Blessed are those who can today see the hand of God in the victories and blessings of every moment.