Remember where that thou are fallen; do the first works. Revelation 2:5. When we first come to him, we are on fire even when we don't know the Bible. Then as time goes on, we become complacent. Lord, help me to never forget who you are to me. Let me never forget what you had done for me. You took me out of darkness and brought me into the light. I may not have been like Mary but I was living in the very darkness of the enemy. I was in the very throws of plotting to take my life in a violent way. I thank you for the life I have lived since then but bring me back to my first love. In Your Name, Amen.
A Way in the Wilderness
Have you noticed that sometimes life feels like a desert? In moments of pain and anxiety, it may seem like there’s no way out. All we see is an endless wasteland.
The people of Israel faced their worst “desert” when Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and took its inhabitants captive. Far from home, they lived for decades under oppression. In moments of anguish and despair, they remembered the prophet’s words: “A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God” (NIV).
In the ancient Near East, a king’s subjects would “prepare a way” by going ahead of him when he returned to his city. His return implied abundance and protection. The author uses this image to announce a way out of the desert; make a path for the King of Kings, trusting that he will arrive to lead everyone home.
The prophet’s confidence finds a basis in God’s history. God freed Israel from brutal slavery—with ...