I was listening to a song just this morning which contained the above words. The song was referring to our preparing the way for Christ. It brought to my mind the verse in Matthew 3:3 ESV describing John the Baptist “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord;…” So for me that begged the question:

How does one prepare the way for Christ?

Everyone and I mean EVERYONE goes through trials. No one is spared in this sin prone wilderness. But what is different is the manner in which we manage our trials. What does our faith look like at the end of a trial? Are we more messed up by that trial? Or are we stronger for having faced it?

We are not living in isolation on this earth. There are people all around us who watch us. If we proclaim to be a Christian, then they get particularly curious about how we handle trials. Why do we think that is? Obviously, everyone wants to overcome their trials. No one wants to be done it by them. So we go on the look out for someone who not only survives a trial but is the stronger and wiser for having gone through it.

It’s the exercise of enduring the trial that produces increased strength and wisdom. And that’s the person we want to examine. A person that doesn’t put on a fake front. A person that isn’t afraid to be real. A person that turns to God’s word to expose the lies (fiery darts) of the enemy. This exposure replaces the lies that breed hopelessness with God’s truths that inspire hope.

Therefore our question is answered. We prepare the way for Christ as we lean in to God’s truths during the trials we inevitably will face in life. Thereby, showing others the way to bring light into the darkness, to bring freedom to the captives, to restore the broken-hearted, to bring hope to the hopeless, to comfort all who mourn…