A Highway for God (July 2012).

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight path in the desert, a highway for our God” (Isaiah 40:3)

The prophet Isaiah in the above text was telling the people of his time to make preparation for the visit of God. John the Baptist also echoed the same words in Matthew 3:3 as he prepared the Israelites for the coming of Jesus Christ the Messiah. In the days of Isaiah when kings want to travel, they sent two sets of messengers ahead of them – the herald and the repairer of the breach (Isaiah 58:12). The herald is the announcer announcing the intending coming of the king. The second sets of messengers are the repairers of the breach. Their own job is to repair broken bridges, build new bridges, patch the highway, expand the highway the king will be travelling in and generally make the route of the king more expansive and totally devoid of encumbrances. The king will not usually travel till the highway is prepared, and the reason for this is because the king usually have a large retinue accompanying him with treasures, goodies, etc. Whenever a king arrives, it is said he has come in all his glory. The queen of Sheba had camels that brought gold, spices and special stones (2 Chronicles 9:1).

In like manner, God wants to come into our lives with His blessings and fullness but there is need for us to prepare the highway He will travel in. Below are three vital areas we need to prepare in our lives for His visit:

Prepare the way in your heart: The doorway of God into our lives is our heart. Jesus said, “Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). If the doorway of our heart is wide open for God, it means it is wide open for the heavy duty blessings He wants to deliver. The Bible enjoins born again believers to keep vigilant watch over their hearts because that is where life starts (Proverbs 4:23, MSG). Our hearts must allow God room to operate by regularly meditating on Him.

Prepare the way in your priorities: Our priorities are things we give utmost attention to. Our time, talents and treasures flow in the direction of our priorities. Our lives center on our priorities. Jesus commands us to make God and His kingdom our priority (Matthew 6:33). In God, all things hold together and He alone should be the threshold of our lives. Chinua Achebe, the African author said things fall apart when the center cannot hold. When things become the center of our lives, other aspects of our lives become displaced. Jesus alone is the Center that can hold all facets of our lives together (Colossians 1:17). Put Him right where He should be today!

Prepare the way in your expectations: It is common knowledge that when an important guest is coming to visit our homes, churches or communities, we make preparations in the form of adjustments. We clean, renovate, cook meals, and generally get prepared because we are EXPECTING a VIP. If we are truly expecting the VIP of VIPs in our lives, our conduct will reflect it. Our aim in preparing for special guests is to please and make them glad. Our life goal and aim should be to please our Maker. The Bible says God travels the Highway of Holiness and no darkness is in Him at all (Isaiah 35:8). What adjustments have you made in 2012 to warrant the coming of the King with His fullness into your life?

Conclusion: The coming of Jesus is imminent, and it is only those who are prepared for His coming that will be raptured and not be ashamed at His coming. The five foolish virgins were left out of the wedding banquet with the Bridegroom because they were unprepared. The five wise ones who had made adequate preparations were granted entrance (Matthew 25:1-12). In what areas of your life are you coming short and need to make adjustments? Receive the grace of God to make the preparations and adjustments today and you will be glad you did. The King is eager to come as you make Him a glorious highway.

Ade(Gboyega) ESAN
http://gboyegae.blogspot.com
www.rccgpittsburgh.net