Preparing the Way

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Luke 3:4 – …The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.


            Four-hundred years had passed since the last prophet had spoken. There had been those who reported what others had seen in the past, but none that had seen anything themselves. John had a vision and his vision catapulted his voice. He cried out because he couldn’t be silent. It was time to get things prepared for the Lord to do His work.

            To prepare the way we must straighten up (vs. 4). Crooked roads with many curves will slow you down considerably. They will also make you sick with all the turning back and forth. Plus, they are dangerous, and deceptive. It’s hard for others to follow you when you are not going straight. Straighten up!

            To prepare the way we must fill up the valleys (vs. 5). The empty places in the wilderness are ruts and they are not conducive to the chariot wheels of God! The deeper the rut the more it will take to fill it. Repentance is not just from sin, it is toward God. We must fill up our ruts with the right things!

            Next we must bring down every mountain and hill (vs. 5) where we worship our false idols. High places are not tolerated when the Lord is the center of worship. We will never be able to see the Lord coming to our wilderness until we remove the high things in our lives.

            Finally, we must smooth out the rough ways (vs. 5) for Him to have complete access. This takes time and humility. If a rock is in the way, move it. Sometimes those stubborn rocks show up after years and years of being below the surface. Smooth out!

            Our job is much like John’s. We are to prepare the way, and make it perfect and acceptable to Him, and then “all flesh shall see the salvation of God” (vs. 6).