JESUS CLEARS THE WAY FOR OUR CHRISTIAN JOURNEY
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“Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth.” – Luke 3:5 –
John the Baptist shares with the people about the coming Messiah. Quoting from Isaiah, he tells of the One who will be God of our mountains and our valleys. He will fill our deepest valleys… the deep hurts and wounds that hold us back. He will level our highest mountains… the difficulties and trials that hinder our spiritual journey.
Is your path in life riddled with hindrances? Are you meeting upon obstacle after obstacle? Are the wounds of your past impeding your Christian walk?
“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth.” – Isaiah 42:16
Isaiah prophesied the way of the Lord. His way is Light. Jesus meets us in our times of need and leads us along His path. His clears the way before us. Nothing is too difficult for Him.
Our God is no less powerful when we cannot see Him. Sin may blind us to a clear view of our Savior. Obstacles may stand in our path, blocking our view. Yet Jesus is the Light of the World. He leads us by the hand… out of darkness into His Light and His way.
Before we came to Christ, we were spiritually blind. Blind to the Truth and the hope of the gospel. Blind to the Source of salvation, peace and eternal life. Our path in life was unknown to us. We were lost in the darkness of our sin.
“I know not the way God leads me, but well do I know my Guide.” – Martin Luther
Jesus met us when we needed Him most… when our lives were in desperate need of a Savior. He set us on His path, promising to be our Guide to the end (Psalm 48:14). The seemingly impassable way before us became clear as we followed in His footsteps… with just enough of His light for each step of our journey.
Our path in life may not be easy. Not every rock or obstacle along our Christian walk may be removed… yet He will guide us carefully around them. Not every bend or crook along our road may be eliminated… yet He will lead us faithfully on the safest route.
“I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.” – Isaiah 45:2
Are discouragement and defeat barring your way? Are sin and unforgiveness holding you captive?
Jesus longs for us to march victoriously through life. As we abide in Him, He will oppose all that opposes us. He will break down the barriers that have kept us from His best. He will cut through the iron bars that have held us prisoner to our sins and our past.
It is the Mighty One, not us, who will do this. It is His power, not our own, that will achieve victory. He desires that we be set free… free from our selfishness, our hardness of heart, our stubborn sins. He promises to lead the way… conquering all in our path. To break through anything that is holding us back.
“The path of the righteous is level; You, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth.” – Isaiah 26:7
As believers, we are righteous by the Righteous One Himself. We are the ones who live in God’s favor, grace and blessing. We are promised a smooth path. On our Christian journey, we can walk in freedom and victory when we allow Jesus to be our Light and our Trailblazer. He will bear us up for the journey and carry us through.
As we place our trust in Jesus to guide us, it matters not what lies ahead in our path. For we know His presence will go with us. We may not know where the next curve in the road will take us. We may not be aware of the next obstacle that halts our progress. Yet we have absolute faith in the One who leads. For He will clear the way before us. This is His promise to us, His righteous ones.