Isaiah 40:3-5

3 A voice cries out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 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 5 Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.’ 

When I read Isaiah 40:4, I am reminded of the amazing ways some areas of the United States have been physically transformed over millions of years.

Last summer I visited national parks in Arizona and Utah and saw first hand the spectacular ways that God has actually “lifted valleys and made mountains low.” The Grand Canyon, a one mile deep gorge was formed as two tectonic plates collided and centuries of erosion from the Colorado River followed. Antelope Canyon gives the inside view of erosion of sandstone from rushing waters that have smoothed and created almost other-worldly rock art forms called slot canyons. The almost comical hoodoos of Bryce Canyon show how billions of years of ice and rain can sculpt formations of limestone.

Although this is not the reference Isaiah intended, it points to the same conclusion. Our God does incredible things! One cannot view the beautiful and majestic sights of places such as those mentioned without realizing the awesome power of a God who created, then geologically changed them. An observation from The Inspirational Bible reads “Because he is perfect, all powerful, and knows everything, God transcends nature.  Mysteriously, he still concerns himself with our lives.”  Our obligation and challenge is to make our spiritual ground level enough that God’s glory can be shown through us as we prepare the way for Christ.

Dear Lord, Please guide our steps as we work to make a smooth pathway for your presence in and through us. Amen

Contributed by Liz Fulton