"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight’” (Luke 3:4)

The voice crying in the wilderness demanded a way for the Lord. I will obey God and give Him a way in my heart through the desert of my nature. There are four things He’s asked for:

 1) Every valley shall be filled. Faithless thoughts of God must be rejected; fear, doubt and worry must be removed; and pursuit of pleasure for its own sake must be forsaken. I must fill these deep valleys with works of grace to make a level way for the Lord. 

 2) Every mountain and hill brought low. Proud, self-sufficient, boastful, self-righteous thoughts and feelings must be brought low to make a highway for the King of kings. Divine fellowship can’t be enjoyed by a haughty spirit. “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). I must always ask the Holy Spirit for help. 

 3) The crooked places shall be made straight. “You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you” (Deuteronomy 5:32-33). “Purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8). I must gird my waist with truth and “put on the breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14). 

 4) The rough ways made smooth. Stumbling-blocks of sin must be removed. “Build up the highway! Take out the stones” (Isaiah 62:10). Prepare Him a way, shouting, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Mark 11:9). This year, I must make a highway for the Lord in my heart by His grace.