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Roadwork

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

Punctuation changes everything. Read the verse above and pay careful attention to the punctuation in Isaiah 40. A voice cries: “In the wilderness…

The voice is not crying in the wilderness. The voice is calling out in announcement like fashion that where the Lord goes there are no obstacles. In the wilderness, which would be notoriously rough and unmarked, a straight highway is laid. Valleys are raised and mountains are lowered so that the Lord’s path is flat, straight and without obstacle. The ground is level and smooth. Why is this important?

Consider the trailblazers throughout human history. They traveled uncharted territory and confronted rivers and forests, deserts and mountains, hills and valleys. Making their own way they had to struggle, backtrack, portage, suffer and, in some cases, die on the way to where they were going.

When we try to make it on our own the experience is much like the trailblazers. We face insurmountable obstacles, we are overwhelmed by the journey, we despair, lose hope and, inevitably face certain death. By contrast look at the way of our Lord. Valleys rise, mountains are made low, uneven ground becomes level. A smooth path is laid out and…this is important…the glory of the Lord is revealed. Walking the path God has laid out for us doesn’t mean we won’t have struggles in our lives. But those struggles will not overcome us and he will be glorified as we travel with an eternal perspective and all flesh shall see it together. Your walk is a witness to either your weakness or God’s strength and often both simultaneously.

Prayer
Lord, I want to walk in your ways. Forgive me for the times I try to make my own path and heal me from the hurts I’ve suffered when living in my own trailblazing willfulness. May all the glory be yours. Amen