A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:3–5, ESV)
A voice cries in the wilderness. It cries out out to prepare the hearts and minds of God’s people for the coming Christ.
God intervenes into history. And God will intervene in your life. God is saying ready or not here I come. The question is – are you ready?
I want you to picture of that desert. It’s a barren wasteland – the Judean wilderness east of Jerusalem. It’s the place where John the Baptist would echo these same words uttered by the prophet Isaiah. It was through this desert that Jesus would make his journey from Galilee, down to Jericho, up the Mt. of Olives, down into the Kidron Valley, and up into the Holy City of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
The people would prepare his way as they laid palm branches and their coats before him on the highway. They would shout “Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Matthew 21:9) He came in an unexpected way and was going to an unexpected place – the cross of Calvary.
Yet, not everyone was prepared to receive him as Lord. There were mountains of pride that stood in the way of Pharisees and Sadducees. They were so set in their traditions and religion that they failed to heed and to see Jesus as the Savior. They were so convinced that there religious traditions would save them. They didn’t need anyone or anything else. They were not prepared for the coming of the Lord. These mountains of pride needed to be made low.
There were others living in the valleys of sin. Their guilt being so real and so evident in their lives that they believed they were beyond redemption. They thought they were beyond hope. They felt they were beyond forgiveness. They were a people walking in darkness yet to see the light. These valleys of despair needed to be raised up.
Still others had taken roads which were not straight or narrow. Their roads were wide and often turning in many different directions away from the Lord. They lived rebellious and defiant of God while taking the scenic road through life. These roads needed to be put straight and in the right direction.
Jesus was not received as the Messiah and the Savior because people were not prepared to receive him as such. Are we ready to receive Jesus? Or have we put obstacles in the way of receiving him. Jesus is coming and there will be nothing like it. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low, the rough ground shall become level, and the rugged places a plain.
Jesus is coming and there is nothing going to stop him. The question is – will we be ready? There is coming a day when the full glory of God will be revealed and no one will be able to deny that he is Lord. Every barrier and obstacle will cease to exist.
We have such a tiny vision of God. We try to put God in a box. Or we try to put him in a book. We try to put him in a building. Or we try to put God into a systematic theology. He is not a God who can be contained. I cannot contain him. The earth cannot contain him. The universe cannot even contain him.
Imagine what it will look like. The world we live will be a very different place. All of these things that divide us from God and others will all be gone. Are you ready for it?
Come Lord Jesus! Prepare my heart to receive you.
Questions for Reflection
- What does it mean to prepare the way of the Lord?
- What mountain do you need to lower? What valley do you need to raise up? What crooked road do you need to make straight?
- How do you envision the coming of the Lord?
- Share your comments.
Just as I am – How wonderful that God meets me where I am – I just have to ask. Thank you.