Isaiah 40:3-5 (ESV)
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 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.
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 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.
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
IN THE WILDERNESS (a place that is dry, hot and uncomfortable) This is where I begin:
1. To prepare a place.
This is something I do, while I am yet in the wilderness. I
get a place ready in the wilderness.
For who?
For who?
FOR THE LORD
Not a place for my comfort and ease but a place to grow and
room to minister for my LORD.
2. To make a straight highway
Not TO God but FOR God
I need to search out those paths in my life that cause me to walk
a crooked way. How do I lose the straight pathway? In
a) The valleys of human ideas and wisdom.
b) Personal mountains of self-righteousness
c) Uneven ground caused by my seeing sinful words and
actions in my life as just "that's how I am, I can't help it."
d) Rough places of boulders Satan places in my way to trip me
up.
I need to face these areas personally bringing the light of God's truth to them. To search them out and bring God's truth to each valley. Only in confession and repentance can I begin to make the pathway straight for HIM. Only in my yielding to God fully - even in a desert - can this happen.
This can only be done by the empowering of the LORD, but my will is a factor.