In the wilderness

Isaiah 40:3 In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Although this verse is usually referred to in terms of John the Baptist’s prophecy about Jesus, this morning as I read it I was really struck by the picture of where the way of the Lord is prepared.  The wilderness is a place of dryness and desolation, or as the dictionary definition says, “a wild and uncultivated region … uninhabited …; a tract of wasteland.”  I was reminded in that picture that God does His “best” work in us when we call to Him out of the middle of our life wildernesses.  When things feel desolate and unbearable is when a person most likely sees that desolation and senses his need for help.  When we recognize our desolation, the way is prepared for the Lord to intervene in our lives and His is able to make His way to us.  Another reminder that I don’t have to have everything in my life “in order” before I can call on God.  It call be a mess, but the way is prepared for God’s intervention.