Tuesday, November 29—Isaiah 40:1-11: Pathways of Preparation
God’s message is one of grace and comfort. He loves us but knows that we cannot recognize Him unless a path is prepared to facilitate communication between God and mankind. In the words of Samuel Gordon, “Jesus blazes a clear way through every thicket and woods, and then softly calls, ‘Follow me. Let’s go on together, you and I.’ ”
Hence, John the Baptist was sent ahead to prepare the way. He finally came, crying in the wilderness, dressed in camel hair and eating locusts. His tattered rags and undignified table manners took him nowhere with the learned and dignified. However, the humble who had ears to hear received his message. Those who were hungry for truth, those repentant of sin, and those who were waiting for the Savior’s advent did not miss that lone voice in the desert.
Likewise, we recognize God’s beckoning voice because of His pathways of preparation. As we travel a path, God is there at every step. He knows when we descend into the valley of grief and despair with its stinging thorns; when we climb the steep path of temptation and greed; when we are thrown into the gullies of isolation; and certainly, when we trudge on and on the old beaten road of the daily grind. He knows, understands, and empathizes.
However, He does not stop there. He uses each rest, detour, and landmark on our journey to prepare us for His interaction with us. Being the Master preparer, Jesus travails and traverses between the strings of our hearts in order to transform us, His earthen and clay vessels, and thoroughly prepare us to worship and welcome Him. He pulls, twists, pricks, prods, digs, urges, stirs, prompts, molds, and shapes the strings of our hearts in such a way that we are rendered prepared masterpieces “created in Christ Jesus to do good works which He prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10) O Come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!
Louima Lilite
