Prepare Ye The Way

Mark 1:2-3 - "Behold, I [God] send My messenger before Your [Jesus] face, who will prepare Your way before You. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight."'

We are preparing for Christmas. We are looking forward to celebrating the birth of Christ. It was prophesied and promised that He would come. There would be a voice in the wilderness asking for us to prepare His way. I'll say it again: I love the promises we have. He came 2000 years ago and He has promised to return again. That may be sooner than we think, even though it's been a long time waiting. 

So, Christmas is about the birth of Christ. He came that He would proclaim who He was, that through His words, His miracles and even His death we might all be saved. He came from a sinless heaven to live among us in this sinful world. Oh, how He had to have loved us to do that. How He knew what was in store for Him but He did it anyway. How we are asked to put our trust and faith in Him, based on this, and love Him back. That act of obedience means so much to Him. 

He will return again for His people. The last promise in Revelation 3:11 and 22:7,12,20 is Behold, I am coming quickly! I can look at that in more than one way. He will come again in the last days. But here's even better news: He can come quickly, today, into the hearts of all who want to receive Him. Quickly...in today's terms that means as fast as a text message. As far as returning the second time, God's timing is not like ours. He does not wish that any should perish, so He waits to return. He won't wait forever, though. And you can receive Him now, as quickly as a text message. No need to wait. Just open your heart to receive Him.

He also tells us in Revelation 3:11 to Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. For those who have already have Christ, this means we should not allow what seems like a forever waiting time for His second coming get the better of us. Don't lose faith. He has promised to return and He will. We are to run the race to receive the prize. We are not to give up. We should not let our impatience steal our crown.

John the Baptist came as the voice crying in the wilderness. His plea was to prepare the way for the Lord. In each individual's life we start out with a wilderness. That wilderness is a life without Christ. We continue to live in that wilderness until we receive Him. If a person seriously searches his soul, like I did, he will realize "something is missing." Chances are he will not be able to put his finger on what it is. I have a great family, a good job, a beautiful house, a car of my dreams, the finances to purchase anything at any time, the ability to travel and enjoy fine dining. What more could I want? That's the question. What more? And the question lingers.

I thought I was going through a midlife crisis. The thought that ran through my head was, there has to be more. I thought deeply about what the "more" was. But I never came up with answers. I came to dead ends. My thoughts were without a final word, no period to finish it. It was like a sentence ending with "..."  I struggled on and off for years not realizing at the time bits and pieces of information were coming at me...the voice(s) God was orchestrating to cry out in my wilderness. One day I realized what my wilderness was...it was a world without Jesus. When my blind eyes were opened and my deaf ears could hear and I allowed this Man, this Savior, into my life, my wilderness vanished. The way to my heart had been prepared little by little to receive the Lord. How I thank those voices! May I be a voice in someone else's wilderness.

Now I realize and understand that Jesus will come quickly. I am prepared. I've made a decision on my own to join the ranks of those who wait for the second coming of Christ. I celebrate Christ's birth in my heart in a different manner. There's more meaning. I also see how this world and our nation have come to a place where more people might be beginning to notice a wilderness and not quite sure where their hope lies. I pray they will begin to hear the voice(s) crying in this wilderness and call out for His salvation. 

Jesus comes soon. It's a promise. It is important to be prepared. We need to remove the wilderness in our lives. The wilderness of the world won't be so difficult to handle. We will realize it's not about the things we have and want, but the One we need, the One who supplies all our needs. When we allow Christ into our lives and remove our personal wilderness, we have received the greatest Promise of all. 

As Christmas approaches, if you want to experience the real meaning of it, open your hearts to receive Him as the Christmas Gift, the Gift of life, the Gift of forgiveness, the Gift that lasts, the Gift you don't have to earn, the only Gift you should want, the only Gift you truly need. Heed the voice in your wilderness and prepare your way, your heart, to receive. 

John 7:37-38 - Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

Seems to me if we have rivers of living water flowing from our hearts, we no longer have a desert or wilderness. We are refreshed; we have what we need.