Prepare The Way
‘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.”’ Isaiah 40:3-6
Who are you? What do you say about yourself? When John the Baptist was asked these questions he answered in the words penned by the prophet Isaiah 700 years earlier. John knew that this ancient prophecy described his life; he was born to prepare the way for the coming Messiah.
Though we may have a thousand answers to those two questions today, I believe that 2,000 years later God is raising up another voice to ‘prepare the way for the Lord’. This voice will not be the sound of one man in a literal wilderness. This voice will be the collective sound of a generation crying out in the spiritual desert to prepare the way for the second coming of King Jesus. Are you willing to make this your answer? Are you willing to be part of this voice?
As a church family, we have felt the urgency of this passage in recent days. It is not enough to simply believe that God is going to move in our land. It is not enough to simply get excited about it. We must actively prepare.
One of the ways we must prepare is by using our voice. John the Baptist was not afraid of speaking the truth even when it cost him his life. Whilst our society today seems to embrace freedom of speech and ideas, it is selective about whose ideas can be spoken. Speaking out about Biblical truths and what God says about morality seems to attract the labels of ‘politically incorrect’, ‘bigoted’ or ‘outdated’. We must not be afraid of these labels. Rather, we must fear the result of not speaking out. ‘How can people call one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear unless someone tells them?’ (Romans 10:14)
- Beth Uppal
Inward prayer: Holy Spirit, would you help us to use our voice?
Outward prayer: Would you give us boldness to declare your second coming to those around us? Would you help us to fear you more than we fear the voices that seek to silence us? Jesus, reveal your glory that we may see it together, Amen.
Who are you? What do you say about yourself? When John the Baptist was asked these questions he answered in the words penned by the prophet Isaiah 700 years earlier. John knew that this ancient prophecy described his life; he was born to prepare the way for the coming Messiah.
Though we may have a thousand answers to those two questions today, I believe that 2,000 years later God is raising up another voice to ‘prepare the way for the Lord’. This voice will not be the sound of one man in a literal wilderness. This voice will be the collective sound of a generation crying out in the spiritual desert to prepare the way for the second coming of King Jesus. Are you willing to make this your answer? Are you willing to be part of this voice?
As a church family, we have felt the urgency of this passage in recent days. It is not enough to simply believe that God is going to move in our land. It is not enough to simply get excited about it. We must actively prepare.
One of the ways we must prepare is by using our voice. John the Baptist was not afraid of speaking the truth even when it cost him his life. Whilst our society today seems to embrace freedom of speech and ideas, it is selective about whose ideas can be spoken. Speaking out about Biblical truths and what God says about morality seems to attract the labels of ‘politically incorrect’, ‘bigoted’ or ‘outdated’. We must not be afraid of these labels. Rather, we must fear the result of not speaking out. ‘How can people call one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear unless someone tells them?’ (Romans 10:14)
- Beth Uppal
Inward prayer: Holy Spirit, would you help us to use our voice?
Outward prayer: Would you give us boldness to declare your second coming to those around us? Would you help us to fear you more than we fear the voices that seek to silence us? Jesus, reveal your glory that we may see it together, Amen.
Posted in Prayer and Fasting Sept 2021
1 Comment
Thanks Beth!
Amen to the prayers!