Prepare a Highway of Holiness

Isaiah 40- Nancy Leigh DeMoss "Revive Tour" Thomas Road Baptist Church, Lynchburg, VA 2013

Lord, what a privilege to be able to attend this conference, and  free of charge!
The book of Isaiah has 66 chapters- just like the Bible has 66 books.  The first 39 chapters are lie unto the Old Testament 39 books.  They are chapters of warning and judgment.  Then in chapter 40, the tone changes to comfort, joy, and the Messianic prophesies - just like the New Testament!

v.1) Comfort Ye my people. We were as lost and sinful as the Israelites!  In our world today, we really need comfort!  Bombings, shootings, recession, joblessness, divorce at an all time high, abortion rate and abuse rates at all time highs, wars and rumors of wars abound!  If I pick up the news paper, I see scandals galore at every level.  Wow!  We really need Your comfort, Lord!
v2) Speak gently to Jerusalem.  Even though Israel had disregarded God and had run after other gods, yet He still loved them...and us!
      Her hard service is done and her sin has been atoned in full and sufficient payment.  Isaiah is speaking of the judgment she had been under for her sin of adultery against her husband, God.  He had chastened her because He loved her and wanted her to return to Him.  the Babylonian captivity had not happened yet, but God is seeing past that time in chapter 40.
v.3) A voice crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the dessert a highway for our God.  This makes me think of John the Baptist.  Nancy said that in the ancient days, there were no roads as we know them...and I can understand that.  She said that when a king would be coming to a certain area, messengers would be sent out before hand to alert everyone.  Crews were sent out to clear a road for the approaching king.  There might be trees, brush, boulders etc. in the way.
      For us, we know that King Jesus is coming, and we are to build a Highway of Holiness for His return.  Verses 4-5 talk about how that is to be accomplished.  It is also a prescription for us in how we are to perfect our personal "highway".
4) Every valley is to be lifted up, every mountain and hill made low; the crooked places straight; the rough places plain:
So what does that mean to me, Lord?
Valleys- low places lifted up:
      Some low places can be: unfulfilled promises to the Lord, spiritual laziness, frittering away my life on inconsequential things, wanting to be more connected to people on a shallow level than with You on a very deep level.
To lift them up, I need to pray, fast, obtain Biblical Literacy, confess and make things right...maybe make restitution.
Mountains and hills made low:
      What stands between other believers, God, and me?  This can be outright sin, addictive behavior, and pride!  So full of ME there is no room for anything else. Maybe it is the list of wrongs I may be keeping that grows that nasty tree of bitterness with roots that go down the China that keeps me from You: rehearsing, "I did not deserve to be treated that way!"  Or maybe it is self pity, or even worse, self righteousness!  "I would never do that, say that, feel that way, or be that way!"  Lord, blow that mountain all to pieces!
Crooked places straight/ rough places straight:
      This means uneven ground, little knolls I can trip on, etc.  It can be deceit, crooked ways of thinking (more like the world, less like Christ), hypocrisy- dishonesty with God and other Christians, as well as with myself.  Do I love my "stuff": sports, movies, celebrities, TV, media (again) more than I love and serve God?  What and who gets the most time? Obviously I can't live in a monastery and do nothing all day but pray and read the Word.  But in my non-work times...how do I spend it?
Rugged places plain:
      These are the distractions of life.  What are my priorities?  This reminded me of trying to pray in the car in quiet on the way to work...didn't happen!  I was already thinking about things I had to do at work and when I got home.  Business can be an awful distraction.  Even at His busiest during His ministry here on earth, Jesus took time away in quiet to commune with the Father.  In our day, we don't like quiet!  We have to have some kind of noise going on.  I found the only way I could concentrate on God in the car was to play quiet praise music!
      This reminded me of when someone calls me on the phone...they call ME, I do not call them.  While we are talking, they are looking at the computer, answering another call, talking with another friend, watching TV or something on the internet, ordering food at a drive through, or paying for something at the store and it seems as though they totally forget that I am on the phone at their request.
      That is how You must feel, Lord.  I come to you in prayer and all of a sudden my mind is everywhere but with You.  Lord, forgive me and help me!  Help me to re-arrange my priorities!

And what happens when these things are accomplished and my Highway of Holiness is finished?

Verse 5 "Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The LORD has spoken!" 
      Precious Lord and Savior of my wretched soul!  I talk about how I want to see Your glory revealed in this rotten, depraved, sinful world I live in...but am I building the Highway of Holiness?  Is mine a voice, "crying out in the wilderness", or am I just a complainer wanting my life to be more comfortable and better for my own comfort and well-being?
Oh, Lord, may it never be!  Make me aware of my sins that I may confess and repent!  Remind me O Lord, that You deserve more than that!