‘A voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all people will see God’s salvation.”’ (vv. 4b–6) Luke 3:1–6
Christianity is rooted in biblical revelation. This collection of scriptures provides our understanding of how God works in a world consumed by its own pursuit of truth. Such is humanity’s presumption that it believes it has the competence to understand the origins of life. Yet, whilst answers are presented, they lead to many more questions.
The incarnation marks God’s intervention, a central aspect of a plan long prepared (Rom. 5:6). A whole series of events, designed within the heart of God, were set in motion.
The miraculous conception of Jesus’ cousin John (known as ‘the Baptist’) provided a voice calling people back to repentance. Four hundred years of silence were shattered by that voice calling people in the wilderness of their personal emptiness.
Where there is no voice, no one can find Jesus’ message of salvation. Each of us has a story of God’s work in our life.
Let’s raise our voices to share the power of personal testimony. It offers the unanswerable argument for God’s grace, describing how God makes sense in the particulars of our life. It speaks of our confidence in God, the substance of where valleys have been filled and mountains flattened.
Our story is so important because it tells us, and assures others, of the practical application of God’s truth; we are the Bible in action.
SCRIPTURE TO CONSIDER: Isa. 45:1–13; Mal. 3:1–5; Matt. 11:1–14; John 15:18–27.
AN ACTION TO TAKE: Take time to reflect on where God is at work in your own life. With whom can you share your story?
A PRAYER TO MAKE: ‘Lord, my road is long and there are mountains in my way. Help me climb a step each and every day. Amen.’
Photo by PJeganathan on Wikimedia Commons
