"John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say, 'Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way before you.'"
Matthew 11:10
Jesus says the above words about John the Baptist when John is in jail. It's not always easy being one who prepares the way of the Lord. It is truly risky business. There are countless examples of missionaries, prophets and others who, in their effort to prepare the way for Christ have ended up in prison or been killed. Being the one who prepares the way is likely to be an unrewarded mission and others may think the effort was in vain. Yet God uses people in ways we may never know this side of heaven.
We are all way-preparers. But what way are we preparing? What message are we declaring--the message of the Good News, or the message of our culture?
In this season of Advent and in every season, I pray that I am one who prepares the way of the Lord, not the way of the world. I hope that when others look back on my life they will see that my labor has made the path straight. This road construction project requires perseverance, and may even appear hopeless at times. Yet, always, God has the master plan, and even if I don't know that a way has been prepared, God does.
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