Knowing God - Isaiah 40:31

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A voice cries out:

"In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,

make straight in the desert a highway for our God."

Isaiah 40:3

 

Most of us are accustomed to hearing Isaiah 40:3 through the words in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Each one quotes the prophet when they introduce us to John the Baptist, saying, "A voice cries out in the wilderness [comma], 'Prepare a way for the Lord.'"

 

But ... I invite you to pay attention today to the traditional Old Testament punctuation: "A voice cries out [comma], 'In the wilderness prepare a way.'" 

 

Rather than John crying out from his wilderness, this translation invites us to ask, "What is my wilderness? Where do I struggle? In what ways am I parched and without living water."

 

The advent adventure in this scripture is: Imagine you’re hiking through the desert. You’re dry and dying. And whether you know it yet or not, the world is harsh and the vultures are circling. The invitation today is: Lace up your hiking boots and keep pushing through until you get to the water and the refreshment. The water of life is not an oasis. Life doesn't have to be defeating, and December doesn’t have to be exhausting.

 

In your wildernesses, prepare a way for the Lord. 

 

In Christ’s Love

A camel

(I can go an extra step)

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Honestly? I don't have the energy to keep pushing through.  Reality is that life is defeating and December is exhausting. One day the vultures will be able to stop circling.