"A Voice in the Wilderness ..."

"A voice cries, 'In the wilderness, prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God'" (Isaiah 40:3).  

God's people needed comfort and hope.  God used the prophet Isaiah to point to what was then a distant future:  "Every 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.  And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken" (Isaiah 40:4-5).

In the days of the beginning of Jesus' ministry, God's people needed comfort and hope.  "In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness; Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight'" (Matthew 3:1-3).

Today, God's people need comfort and hope.  We are living in a wilderness, where there is a drought of God's Word.  The prophet Amos wrote, "Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the land - not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.  They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it" (Amos 8:11-12).  Those words were spoken concerning a specific time in the history of the people of Israel, yet they are applicable to the church today.

We are in the days leading to the return of Jesus Christ to establish His reign on the earth during the Millennium.  The United States and the nations of the world are in chaos, not only because of a virus, but because of lawlessness due to a rejection of God's Word.  False religions have enveloped the nations, including our own, and the "counterfeit church," as in the days of Jeremiah, cries, "Peace, peace," but there is no peace!!

As we head into this new year, it has become obvious already that there can be no unity and peace where there is no proclamation of the Word of God ... the one, true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  To you who believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, YOU are called to be "a voice in the wilderness today," preparing the way for the Lord by proclaiming the Gospel to all, knowing that God will give to some "ears to hear," and they will be saved from His coming judgment.  You must know what God says and believe His Word is found in the Bible, not through some other means or from some other source.  Be careful of those who say they have "a word from the Lord" that does not come from God's Word.

We who know Jesus today know HIS joy, the joy of living to please our Father as we proclaim His truth and stand firm in our faith.  Do not lose heart, for He is with us and will never leave us.  And do not be quiet!  Keep speaking of God's plan and pointing people to Jesus Christ.  HE IS LORD!!!

"Every 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.  And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken" (Isaiah 40:4-5).