As we enter advent, there is so much preparation that we feel we must accomplish. We perhaps get busy and caught up into the cultural demands and tradition of Christmas. It can be exhausting and can oftentimes take the joy out of what this season truly is supposed to signify.
As we enter advent, I reflect on what Isaiah prophesied roughly 400 years before Christ was born in Isaiah 40:3-5,
A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the
way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley
shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become
level,
and the rough places a plain.
Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has
spoken.”
What if I told you that preparing the way for the Lord is actually about our own personal internal preparations? It is a self-reflection of looking at the posture of our heart; and not just at the time of Christmas, but asking ourselves every day the painful truth questions about the attitude of our heart. The preparation is our intimate relationship with Jesus so that we can know who god truly is. The preparation is self-examining our past hurts, addictions or wounds making ourselves open and vulnerable for Jesus to penetrate those areas to bring deliverance and transformation over our lives. The preparation is trusting God in all our circumstances despite what we see which is increasing out faith for a manifestation of God’s glory to be seen and known. The preparation is humbling us so that we can move and operate in the power and authority o the Holy Spirit so that God gets the glory.
God is looking for a Prepared People with a heart posture toward Him who will stand up during adversity and the times to come with courage, boldness and unwavering faith for truth, His word and promises to profess all things pointing to Jesus Christ.
This advent season, let us take this
time to pause, to be still and to put all of our Christmas to do lists on the
back burner. I too am speaking to
myself. We are in unprecedented worldly times
with an unprecedented God who desires first and foremost our prepared heart for
a prepared people (Luke 1:17). A voice
is crying out and calling us to Him.
Amen.
