Scripture: Isaiah 40:1-5 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Devotional: As we continue to unravel the nuances of how religion and politics intermingle and coexist, we are making a concerted effort to pursue Jesus above all. In doing so, we shine His light and show His love. This is what John the Baptist did in the New Testament. He is actually the fulfillment of the prophecy that we read today from Isaiah. John 1:23 says, “John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’’”
He called on believers to pave the road for Jesus to arrive. Throughout his life, John beckoned the Jewish people to repent of their sin and be baptized. For the Jewish people, using baptism in this way, as an outward expression of an inward decision, marked a different way of doing things. It showcased that they trusted in Jesus alone as their Savior and not in the works of their Jewish faith. When they did so, they made a personal commitment of devotion to God. That personal commitment led to a pursuit of holiness.
Holiness is often referred to as a straight path in the Bible. So, as we seek to make the path straight for Jesus, much like John the Baptist and the Jewish people at the time did, we can repent and pursue holiness. We have the opportunity to prepare the way for Jesus in both the lives of others and for His return. God wants to work in our hearts and our lives to make us more like Him. He wants to make us holy. When we embrace this holiness, we highlight Jesus and the life He led. This might impact someone who does not know Jesus in such a way that it opens the door to Him in their life. And, as the body of Christ, when we pursue holiness, we are preparing the way for when Jesus comes again.
What an honor and a privilege to prepare the way for Him. Regardless of the political climate that we live in or the policies that are put into place, we have the opportunity to make much of Jesus in our lives, making the path straight for Him.
Reflect:
- Have you ever considered what it means to prepare the way for the Lord?
- What do you think that looks like lived out?
