Prepare the way of the LORD: Is 40:3-5

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; 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)

It seems today there are many people who are sitting idle, doing nothing, just waiting for the Lord. Their not doing anything, their just waiting, and most of them are not even sure of what they're waiting for. Let me give you a few examples. There was a person who confided in me that they knew that what they were doing was wrong, but that they were waiting for God to convict them before they repented. They knew what they should do, but they were waiting for God to come and do something first, then they would get right with God. I knew another person who was working at a very low paying job that they hated very much. They were convinced that, one day, God would release them into full time ministry, so they kept working at the job they hated, barely getting by on what they made. Their approach to their job was to do nothing, but wait until God came by and dropped full time ministry into their lap. And finally, I new someone who had been hurt greatly by another Christian with whom they were in relationship with. Their pain had caused them to stop walking with the Lord. When asked, they would say that they were to hurt to even come to church and, once Jesus heals them, then they would be able to walk with the Lord again.

For those of us who are sitting back and waiting for God to move, there is a voice crying out, "Prepare the way of the Lord!" Sometimes, if we want God to move in our lives, we must prepare the way for Him. Could it be that while were are waiting on God to move, He is waiting for us? There are some blessings that God showers down upon us just because we are His children. But there are other blessings that must be obtained.

"And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." (Isaiah 35:10)

The Hebrew literally says that they will "overtake" gladness and joy. Sometimes we sit by waiting for God to bring gladness and joy to us when, if we would only get up and start walking, we would find that it has always been right there all the time, just ahead of us. It has often been said that God cannot steer a ship that is dead in the water, and the same is true with our lives. We must often press forward in faith, believing that God will direct and establish our way.

"Make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed." (Hebrews 12:13)

The prerequisite to healing is to make straight paths for our feet. If our lives are void of godliness then, even if God does heal us, it is only a matter of time before something worse befalls us. For example, if we are involved in an unhealthy relationships then, even if God heals our broken heart, the relationship will only serve to break it again. Sometimes God is waiting for us to first respond to His word, for example, to break off the relationship, so that He may heal us and His healing may remain.

There is a lot I would like God to do in my life, yet the counsel of God is to prepare the way for Him to come in. I must begin to walk with God by faith, making straight paths for my feet, and moving forward in the things of God. And as I walk with God, I will find that He has all the healing, joy, and peace that I could ever need in my life. And not only will I find the healing I desire so much, but God will also be glorified in the process. For the result of preparing the way of the Lord is that the "glory of the Lord shall be revealed".

David Robison