“Then they said to him, ‘Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?’ He said: ‘I am “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord.”‘”
(John 1:22,23)
The subtitle for this passage of Scripture caught my attention. It reads, A Voice in the Wilderness.
A Voice in the Wilderness.
Think about it. Have you ever felt so overwhelmed and confused that you felt lost – defeated – by the approaching darkness?
I have.
But then, a voice, strong and clear, called to me, “Nan, it is I, the Lord, your Adonai. I will make a way in this wilderness where there seems to be no way. Follow the sound of my voice. I will lead you to the Light.”
This is exactly what John the Baptist was doing in these verses. He was calling out to the people, preparing them to receive their Lord, their Adonai. “I am the voice Isaiah spoke of many years ago, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of Adonai; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'”
It was customary during this time for the road to be smoothed and leveled in preparation for a visit from the king of the province. Hence, the phrase, “Make straight the way of the Lord (the King). John was saying, “The King is coming. Prepare the way to receive Him by cleansing your heart, repenting of your sins. Remove any obstacles that will prevent His coming to reign in you.”
An interesting cross reference is Proverbs 3:6, “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.”
Direct. Yashar (Yah-shar), “to make straight, right, pleasing, good.”
“In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall yashar (make smooth or straight) your paths.
John said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make yashar the way of the Lord.”
When we acknowledge Him as Lord, in all things, it indicates a deep relationship. When He is Lord – Adonai – it means He has total possession of me and I am totally submitted to Him as my Master.
I am His and He is mine.
And I recognize His voice calling to me in the wilderness.
Adonai, Open our ears that we might hear, our eyes that we might see Your approaching Glory. Your Light shines bright in our darkness lighting our paths. Help us to remove anything in our lives that prevent You from being the One True God. We praise You, Father. We thank You for never leaving us, nor forsaking us. You are beautiful beyond description.
Nan, a lot of this that you described sounds a lot like how I'm feeling, but I still don't know what to think yet! I have been praying, reading the Bible every night, but I still feel so far away from him, but I think that maybe the devil is wanting me to feel that way. I want you to know though your blogs are such a blessing, and so encouraging and the scripture references really helps!! Thanks, for your devotionals!! Love, Angie
Angie, I am so thankful Morning Glory is helping you. That is an answer to my prayer. We will continue to pray for you. Did you know that as a Believer in Jesus, you have authority over Satan? You do! I would like for you to prayerfully consider reminding Satan that you are a child of God, washed in the Blood of Jesus. Tell him that you know he is "the father of lies" and tell him that "God is not a God of confusion, but a God of peace." Then, out loud, say, "Jesus, You are Lord of my life. You are my Savior. My life belongs to You and You alone." Then begin to thank Him for your salvation. And let the tears flow. He will heal your heart and draw you to Himself. Love you Angie!
Nan you and David are such great friends you don't know how much it means to me to have such wonderful friends like you guys to talk too, and know that they are praying for you!!! Thanks again for your encourging words!! You guys are such a blessing to us!!! We will continue to pray for you guys and your transition to Ashe also!!! We can't wait!!! Love, Angie
We feel the same about you, Angie. You are a blessing.