The wilderness. Make a way through the wilderness for the
Lord. Jesus was in the wilderness right after he was baptised in the Jordan by
John, whose cry to the people of Israel echoed that from Isaiah 40: Prepare the
way for the Lord.
Then he baptised the Lord, and the Lord went into the
wilderness. Jesus knows what it is to be in the wilderness. He knows from his
own experience the sense of loneliness and abandonment, the fear and
trepidation, the physical discomfort and emotional strain. The hopelessness.
God spoke to his people through Jeremiah (31:3) ‘I have
loved you with an everlasting love.’ Jesus knew that, and the love of the
Father sustained him through those long days and nights. Eventually he emerged
from the wilderness, strong and assured of his calling.
Sometimes when we are in the wilderness, preparing a way for
anyone, including the Lord, is beyond us. I’m sure then is the time to hunker
down in the shelter of God’s promises, and this is surely one of those to cling
to. ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love.’ Before God formed you in the
womb he knew you. He has loved you – he has loved me – since before time began
until beyond its cessation. Everlasting love. The everlasting love of the
Creator of the Universe; the everlasting love of the three-in-one Lord who
invites us to join in the dance of life.
If preparing a way is too much today, then rest in the
shadow of his love and leave it to him.
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