Isaiah 40:3-5 (NRSV)
Read Isaiah 40:3-5 on biblegateway.com
Verse 3A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Verse 4Every 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. Verse 5Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."
Devotion
I grew up in one of the richest farming counties in the Midwest. Fertile farmland and verdant woodlands dominate the landscape of my childhood. No matter what terrain we envision when we close our eyes, the prophet Isaiah teaches us to read our lives in terms of deserts and plains of another sort. Speaking to a people who knew the difficulties of harsh exile and suffering, Isaiah announces God’s plan to transform the very world before their eyes by creating a fresh geography of hope. Can you recall a time in which you have experienced such a God-given transformation in your life?
Prayer
Stir up our hearts, O God, and prepare our eyes to see what you are doing in the world today. We entrust to you all who are far from home today, all refugees and migrant laborers, and those who serve in the military. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.