Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord
Psalm 41:4
“I said, ‘Have mercy on me, LORD;
heal me, for I have sinned against you.’”
From its introduction to Broadway audiences in 1971, to moviegoers nationwide in 1973, a musical took the country by storm with its off-beat, somewhat radical, contemporary, Hippie take on the Gospel of Matthew. The style may have been radical, but the message was timeless—”prepare ye the way of the Lord.” Even today when I hear the words, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord,” my mind automatically switches to the engaging melody from the musical “Godspell.”
John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus, with his own radical, off-beat style, preached in the wilderness of Judea calling for people to repent of their sins. “I am the voice of the one calling in the wilderness, ‘make straight the way of the Lord.’” (Jn 1:23) John’s life had a single vision: “Prepare!” “Prepare ye the way of the Lord” was his bold proclamation for the people to examine and open their hearts to the coming Messiah. It was meant to foster a favorable environment for Jesus’ arrival and to prepare the people ahead of time to receive Christ’s teachings that would ultimately and radically change their hearts and lives.
John also had a single message: “Repent!” A simple definition of what it means to repent is this: to recognize and have true regret for our behavior, to make a heart decision to turn from the way we are going, and to go the opposite direction, the way that pleases God. It is like doing an about-face in our lives—to acknowledge that we have sinned, to turn away from our sin, and to set a new course for our lives. This timeless message has not changed. Jesus still desires that we invite Him in to take control of our repentant hearts and to allow Him to operate fully in our lives.
Won’t you invite Him in to do that today? How might you set a new course for your life? As you reflect on Jesus’ first coming over 2000 years ago, how might you prepare a way in your heart for Jesus’ second coming?
Dear Heavenly Father, in this first week of Lent, please shine Your light on my heart to reveal anything hidden that separates me from You. Help me to break down the walls of resistance and pride that would free me to have an attitude of repentance and change of heart. I ask that You prepare my heart for a new direction in my life on this earth and for Your Kingdom to come. In Jesus’ merciful name, I pray. Amen.
**For further reflection, Psalm 51 offers a scriptural guide to repentance.
~ painting by Jen Norton
