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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.”

 

This scripture is foretelling the coming of John the Baptist and his ministry which taught of repentance. He had come to call the people to realize their spiritual need in preparation for Christ.

The writer here also describes metaphorically the nature of a repentant heart. It is likened to a desert onto which a highway is constructed. How many of us were in a dry and awful place prior to conversion? How amazing that in our dry and broken condition a highway might be built to lead us to Christ! It is interesting that the desert land is described as rugged and uneven. It would effectively have to be levelled prior to the highway being built.

How many of us have had to go through periods of great brokenness and dismantling to make way for Him in our lives? I think these scriptures bring hope that He can construct the hope of salvation in the midst of destruction. He can also construct hope in the heart of a defeated believer who is seeking to find help in the desert of bleak circumstances.

Allison Montgomery 

Prayer Concerns: For those in need of salvation to see Jesus.

Also Praying for those facing difficult medical diagnoses -to have the hope of a rebuilding.

Alternate verses: John 1: 19-28 or Psalm 72: 1-7 and 18-19