Prepare The Way
Isaiah 40:3-5 A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Prepare: To turn, to turn toward or from, to turn and do, to look, clear away. Behold, Respect, Prepare. To make ready.
How do we prepare?
#1 Repentance
#2 Intimacy
#3 Obedience
Ways: a road, a course, a mode of action. It suggests specific opportunities a person may encounter on a reoccurring basis, such as each new day.
“In all your days, acknowledge God and in doing so, He will direct your paths.”
Acknowledge: yada- highest level of this is direct, intimate contact. This refers to life giving intimacy, as in marriage.
“In all your days, maintain direct, intimate contact with God, and He promises to direct your paths.”
Direct: to be straight, right, upright, pleasing, good, “to make straight.” God will straighten out the path of His devoted.
Is. 45:2 I will go before you and make the crooked places straight…
Crooked: deceitful, sly, insidious, slippery.
Insidious: gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects.
Galatians 3:3 Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
John 14:15 If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Acts 5:29 We must obey God rather than men.
John 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the son also does in like manner.
From a life of repentance, intimacy and obedience, comes receiving.
Isaiah 40:3-5 A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Glory: honor, splendor, power, magnificence, fame, authority. His visible splendor.
revealed: to uncover, open, lay bare, unveil.
Acts 2:17 This is what I will do in the last days. I will pour out my spirit on everybody and cause your sons and daughters to prophesy, and your young men will see visions and your old men will experience dreams from God.
Pour out: gush forth or run greedily. The Aramaic can be translated “I will be splashing my Spirit wind over all flesh (humanity).