Prepare the way!

Not too long ago while I was out and about, I noticed on the back of someones shirt the verse Isaiah 40:31, so I thought I'd look the passage up when I got to my bible.  I knew that it was talking about rising up on wings like eagles, but I wanted to read the whole chapter.  As I started reading, something really grabbed my attention.  In verse 3 of that same chapter it quotes the same thing that the New Testament quotes concerning John the Baptist in relation to the arrival of Jesus. Isaiah, though, says it a little differently...so slight, it's not really easy to catch. Isaiah 40:3 states:

³ A voice of one calling:

“In the wilderness prepare

   the way for the LORD;

make straight in the desert

   a highway for our God.

^{I had always read that scripture totally different.  The comma or colon in the New Testament is placed after wilderness, so it would read "a voice calling in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord."}

^{This particular passage phrases it a little differently which really ministered to me deeply when I read it... "In the desert prepare the way of the Lord."  Wow...what a difference a comma can make!}

 

^{We've been going through some tough times lately with different areas of our lives and this passage really struck me.  As we're IN the desert, we should prepare the way of the Lord. We should make straight paths for him.  As we're IN the desert we should expect Him to come by preparing ourselves and being ready for His arrival.  As we're IN financial difficulty, we should continue to do what God's called us to do...spend wisely, budget, and most importantly, give.  As we're IN need of encouragement, we should prepare the way of the Lord by reaching out to others and lifting them up.  As we're IN distress, we shouldn't give up on our God for HE is Faithful. We're preparing the way for the Lord to come, even when we don't see it in the present.  He's on his way, that's for sure, so getting ready for him shows that we trust Him.  Speaking the truth of His word IN our desert times is preparing our hearts to receive what He has in store for us.  It's almost as if it's a test...He wants to see how we'll respond.  Will we choose to prepare the way for HIM during these times, or will we falter and complain.  Will we believe and declare the promise in Malachi that says if we tithe "the floodgates will be open with so much blessing that we won't even have room to contain it," even if our bank account looks otherwise?  Will we choose to believe that God has a plan to get us OUT of the desert, or will we just be miserable?  I believe that complaining and murmuring keeps us in those desert times much longer than we should be.
Oh, but read on...in verse 4 listen to the amazing promises for us if we simply prepare the way:}
Every valley shall be raised up,
   every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
   the rugged places a plain.
⁵ And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
   and all people will see it together.
            For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

WOW!  no more mountains or valleys ahead of us! It's level ground! No more rugged places and to top it off, God's glory is revealed. He spoke this, so it is absolutely true!
^{So, it's our choice...when we're in the desert we can choose to prepare the way for the Lord to come, or we can complain and doubt the truth of what God says.  I know it can be hard when you don't see Him coming, but when you're in the desert and it feels and looks as if everything is drying up, choose to prepare the way of the Lord.  He's on HIS way!!}