As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him
Luke 3:4
Luke gave us a description of the ministry of John as prophesied by Isaiah. John’s mission was to prepare the way for the Lord (Jesus Christ). To understand the significance of this role, however, we must first understand what it means to prepare a way for the Lord in the first place.
Highways in the ancient world were built for kings to travel. When a king planned to visit a city, it was the custom to build or prepare a road for him and his entourage to use as they approached the city. The path would be made as straight and level as possible (see Isaiah 40:3–4). Isaiah 35:8–10 speaks of “a highway” called “the Way of Holiness” leading to the city of Zion. Holiness is often referred to in the Bible as a straight path (Hebrews 12:13; Psalm 5:8; Proverbs 3:6; Jeremiah 31:9; Isaiah 26:7).
John was God’s messenger chosen to proclaim the coming of Jesus Christ, Israel’s Messiah, who is King of kings and Lord of lords. John preached a game-changing baptism of repentance that leads to a life of holiness found only in surrendering to Jesus Christ (John 14:6; 2 Timothy 1:9). As Christians, we prepare the way for the Lord to enter our hearts by repenting of our sins so that Christ can come in and make straight paths and holy temples of our lives (Deuteronomy 26:18–19; Ephesians 1:4; 2:19–22; 1 Peter 1:15–16; 1 Corinthians 3:16–17; 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1).
In reality, John’s ministry is also our ministry today. We have a mission to prepare the way for our king’s arrival first into our own hearts and then we must go on from there to prepare the way for him to enter into as many hearts as possible.
How can we prepare the way of people’s hearts? Well, we just need to do exactly what John did. He began to preach a message of repentance. He persuaded the people to turn their hearts over to God and allow Him to reign in their lives, to be the commander of their will, their thoughts and their actions. Are you ready to prepare the way for the Lord? Go do likewise.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, I heed the call to prepare the way for your presence in my heart. Remove any hindrance, and may my life be a clear path for you to reign. I also intercede for my community of believers, that collectively, we may be a prepared dwelling place for your glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
