Verse – Luke 3:4-6
As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
Reflection – Luke 3: 4-6 – Prepare For The Lord
Isaiah paints a picture of the path of the King. He announces that the path be made straight and smooth. He professes that all mountains be brought low and all valleys be leveled. All rough places be smooth so that all those made of the clay can see the salvation of God.
Isaiah’s prophesy which is echoed by John in the wilderness speaks to the symbolism of our perfect or imperfect ways. He concedes that before the flesh can be made one with God, all imperfections must be removed. John’s screams in the wilderness is directed at the people who surround him and listen to him.
When they each come to him one by one, he baptizes them and tells them of how they can make their crooked ways straight. This is the only way they can prepare themselves to be one with Christ.
Filling valleys and leveling mountains means cutting off the sinful nature from your being and being humble enough to receive the King. Shunning all evil and making your ways straight is the only way you can see the salvation of God. Christ came to us as the spirit of God in flesh to take us to him.
When we die in Christ, we are made perfect and cleansed of all evil stains so that we can be in the presence of the Holy One. You must prepare your heart for the King by removing all stains of sin and making your ways straight so that you can share in his salvation.
Declaration
I make my ways straight and remove all traces of evil in my heart so I can be saved by the coming King.
Prayer
Dear Lord
Help me make my ways straight
Take me away from my sins
Remove all traces of evil from my path
Cleanse me of all impurities
Cover all the shortfalls in me
Level all mountain peaks in my life
and let me share in the salvation of my Lord
Amen