Prepare the Way

Each week on Monday following the sermon, we will be posting the devotional for the week that will provide a scripture reference, a short devotional, and a prayer to help us focus in on the message and Prepare the Way!

Quick Navigation

• Week 1: Prepare the Way: Comfort in Uncertain Times
• Week 2: Prepare the Way: Taking Down the Barriers
• Week 3: Prepare the Way: The Enduring Word
• Week 4: Prepare the Way: Strength Wrapped in Gentleness
• Christmas Eve: Prepare the Way: Shouting Out Good News of Great Joy

Isaiah 40:1-2

“Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God.
“Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.
Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned.
Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over for all her sins.”

Have you ever found yourself in a place or time where you felt overwhelmed with uncertainty? Where you couldn’t imagine a peaceful resolution to your circumstances? Where the road seemed dark and the path unclear? Where God seemed far away? In times like this, it’s easy to give up, to hide, to lose hope that we will ever see anything new or good or different. But God…

It’s interesting to me that God rarely protects us from challenging circumstances. In fact, we can be certain that life will include uncertainty. As Jesus followers we are not exempt from difficulty or fear or anxiety or even tragedy. But God…. God says, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” (Heb 13:15) His promise is not that everything will always be as we wish it would be, but that he will be with us every season and every situation. We are not abandoned or left alone. Jesus is Immanuel – God with us! When the uncertainty of this life threatens to overwhelm us, he says to run to him, to trust in him, to fix our eyes on him. What a comfort! He is a faithful, present, trustworthy God.

In this time of transition at Hope, some of us may be experiencing fear or anxiety about the future of Hope. But God… God is with us; we don’t have to walk through this time alone. His presence, his guidance, and His peace are available to us. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27). When we can’t see the path before us and his peace evades us, God’s invitation is to slow down, to become still, to draw near and open up to his peace. There is a beautiful gift that comes when we let go of our racing thoughts and our desire for control, and simply rest in His comfort and peace. Take a moment to read 2 Corinthians 1:3-7. Paul writes that when we experience God’s powerful presence in our troubles, we can then comfort others with the same comfort God has given us (v.4). That’s the blessing! That’s the redemption, the good that can come from the hard! When I am in the middle of uncertain and challenging times, this prayer has opened my heart to receive his peace. Consider praying it this week as you begin your day to help you set your heart on God’s peace.

In the busyness of this day, grant me a stillness of seeing, O God.
In the conflicting voices of my heart, grant me a calmness of hearing.
Let my seeing and my hearing, my speaking and my doing,
Be rooted in a silent certainty of your Presence.
Let my passions for life and the longings for justice that stir within me
Be grounded in the experience of your stillness.
Let my Life be rooted in the ground of your peace, O God.
Let me be rooted in the depths of your peace.

Isaiah 40:3-5

³ Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting,
“Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord!
Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!
⁴ Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains

Clear the way! Make the path straight and smooth! Then you will see the glory of the Lord. Last week we read that God’s invitation to us is comfort and peace in the midst of uncertain times. These verses from Isaiah 40 offer us a second invitation as enter this time of transition and prepare for the future God has for us: Repentance. It’s a hard word, a humbling word. It points to an honest, open look at what is true in our lives, what we are hiding from, and what needs to be surrendered. Repentance implies a cleansing of our hearts and a realigning of our lives. It includes letting go of the old and surrendering to God’s will and ways. In Ezekiel 36:24-27 we read that God will wash us clean, give us a new heart that is tender and responsive, and give us his Spirit to help us to follow His ways. That’s good news!

Repentance can be a turning from a specific sin, and it can be the ongoing process of bringing our behaviours, attitudes, thoughts, and desires into increasing harmony with a Christ-like life. But almost always it begins with God’s light shining into the dark and hidden places in our lives, revealing our pride, our subtle, selfish tendencies, unforgiveness, our personal agendas, or our desire for power and control. We are masters at deceiving ourselves. We are quick to point out the faults of others, but are often very slow to recognize our own weaknesses. Arrogant judgments cloud our ability to recognize, in our own lives, the very things we criticize in others.

But God… God says, “Listen!” Listen to the gentle voice of the Spirit. Humble yourself before God and welcome his searching gaze. Ask him to search your heart and reveal those entrenched ideas and the behaviours and thoughts you have justified and refused to name as sin. Consent to his presence and action within and surrender all to him. He longs to set us free from the sinful patterns that we have become so accustomed to, and breathe his love and life into our soul. He wants to transform us, give us his heart and reveal his perspective on all of life. As we move into this time of transition & prepare for Jesus’ coming this advent season, might we consider spending intentional time this week in God’s presence, allowing his searching gaze to reveal anything that might be hidden from our sight, anything that is keeping us from becoming more like Jesus. May we be a repentant people whose hearts are tender and open to his refining work, that the glory of the Lord may be revealed in us.

Father, let me know myself the way the Holy Spirit knows me.
Shed your light on my habits & routines, my thoughts & judgments, my feelings & conditions.
Reveal any harmful attachments that are keeping me from freedom in Christ.
Illuminate all that is hidden and walk me into your glorious light.and hills.
Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places.
⁵ Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.
The Lord has spoken!”

Isaiah 40:6-8

⁶ A voice said, “Shout!”  I asked, “What should I shout?”
“Shout that people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flowers in a field.
⁷ The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the Lord.
And so it is with people.
⁸ The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.”

Life. It brings unwelcome twists and turns…our best plans for the day, the coming week, or the rest of our life can disintegrate and disappear in a moment. We’ve all been there. We’ve all experienced the reality of our relationships falling disappointingly far from our expectations. People change or leave or aren’t who they claim to be. Promises are broken, or lies are spread, turning our world upside down, and leaving us asking, “Why? What did I do? How can I fix this? Are you there, God? Why me?”

In our passage from Isaiah, we read that people will disappear and fade like the grass and the flowers. We will all die, all fall short, all disappoint others, all make mistakes, all do things that cause pain and heartache. Only One lived faithfully and loved perfectly. In John 1:14 we read, “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”

Our passage ends with, “the word of our God stands forever.” The Word…it is life and wisdom and revelation. The Word…He is life and wisdom and revelation. The Word is alive and active, “teaching, rebuking, correcting, & training us in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and The Word died for us, redeems us, and forgives us. The Word may refer to the written words of God or to Jesus, the Word made flesh, but either way, the Word is trustworthy & reliable, and will be with us as long as we have breath and on into eternity. People and circumstances may fail us, but the Word never fails us. It/He is forever our help, our comfort, our peace, our hope, our strength, our light, our everything!

So the questions before us in this season of transition and advent are: When people fail you or pain overwhelms you, how do you experience the Word of God? Do you open your Bible and allow the words to breathe life and hope into your situation? Or do you blame God, turn away and reject his words of comfort? In your deepest disappointments and darkest days, do you run to Jesus, the Living Word and pour out your heart to him? Or do you pull away, sit in the darkness, and ruminate on the injustice of your situation? As we wait on God for wisdom and direction in this season, we have a beautiful opportunity to be open to new possibilities, to welcome the transformation of our lives and our church, to envision and create a future of flourishing and fruitfulness. The Living Word invites us to come, to listen, to trust and rest in his love. Spend time with the Word of God this week, dreaming about our future at Hope and listening to his words of life and encouragement for you.

Word of God speak, would you pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see Your majesty.
To be still and know that you’re in this place
Please let me stay and rest in your holiness…Word of God speak. (lyrics by Mercy Me)

Isaiah 40:10-11

¹⁰ Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power.
He will rule with a powerful arm.
See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.
¹¹ He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart.
He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.

In our passage this week we see the beautiful image of the shepherd and his sheep. The shepherd is the protector, the provider, the one who tends and loves and cares for his flock with gentleness and power. The sheep, and especially the lambs, are weak and vulnerable, incapable of surviving the harsh realities of life alone. They know they need a shepherd!

We aren’t so different from those sheep, but we are often slow to acknowledge our need of a shepherd. We stubbornly insist on doing things our way, convinced we can manage our lives. I am guilty! Over the years I have often depended on my own strength and abilities to get me through tough situations. It’s been hard for me to acknowledge my weakness and brokenness, defaulting instead to power and control. But in the last 10 years, I have been confronted with the broken places in my life. I have come to realize how desperately I need God’s wisdom and guidance and enabling power. In my own strength, I am selfish and proud, slow to admit weakness or need, but when I bow down in the presence of a loving God and let him search my heart, I am overcome with my need of a Savior. It is in that place of weakness and openness where I experience the gentle Shepherd’s leading!

Hope, we need our strong and gentle Shepherd to walk with us through this next season. We need His wisdom and discernment to guide our decisions. We need our faith to be enlarged, our hope to be reborn, our trust and dependence on Jesus to grow. It looks like surrender; letting go of our desire for power and control and running to our Shepherd with humble hearts, soft and open to his leading. Only when we acknowledge our weakness will we find His strength (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). It is then that we experience the comfort and joy of dependence on Him. In Matthew 11:28-30 we read, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” The Message ends with the words, “Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Doesn’t that sound appealing? Where are you still trying to make your life happen on your terms in your own strength? holding on to control? Where are we as a church trusting in our own strength, holding on to our plans for our future? I wonder what would happen if we allowed God to plant His vision for our future in our hearts? Prepare the way, Lord; we trust in you.

I am not in control…You are God.
I am not in a hurry…Your timing is perfect.
I walk in faith…You are powerful.
I dwell in peace…You are gentle.
I put my faith in God…You are trustworthy.

Isaiah 40:9

O Zion, messenger of good news, shout from the mountaintops!
Shout it louder, O Jerusalem, Shout, and do not be afraid.
Tell the towns of Judah, “Your God is coming!”

It’s Christmas! Our God is coming! He is Immanuel, God with us! He is the Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace! He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! Shout it out…Good News of Great Joy! This is the One we have been waiting for throughout this advent season. In Isaiah 40:1-11, our theme has been Prepare the Way! Prepare the way for the One who is our Comfort, our Saviour, the Living Word, our strong and gentle Shepherd. Prepare the way for Good News of Great Joy.

This word is so timely for us as a church. Prepare the way for a new season…for Pastor Heidi and for Hope! Prepare the way for new possibilities, new leadership, new outpouring of the Holy Spirit, new life and new people, and new growth and fruitfulness. This is good news of great joy, for the Lord has come! Immanuel is with us!

Listen to Luke 2:8-12: That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Did you catch it? “Do not be afraid!” The shepherds were terrified when they were faced with the unknown. But God knew what they were thinking and feeling and he said, “No fear! Something good is coming. It’s going to be great! It’s good news of great joy.” Isn’t it reassuring that God knows us so well; before a thought enters our mind or a word is even on our lips, he knows it. He knows our past, our present and our future. In fact, he goes before us into our future to prepare the way (Psalm 139:1-5 TPT), and makes beauty from the ashes of our past (Isaiah 61:3 NIV). He knows what we need far better than we do, and we can trust him to bring it to pass. This is good news of great joy!

As we begin 2025, can we keep this good news of great joy before us? Can we believe that God has been at work in us and will continue to be at work, shaping and forming us as he leads us into our future? Into something new, something good? Let’s prepare our hearts to receive His presence and direction, and prepare the way to receive the something new that is coming.

Joy to the world! The Lord is come! Let Earth receive her King.
Let every heart prepare him room! And heaven and nature sing!

Keep believing in the promise and the hope of Isaiah 43:19. Prepare the way for God to bring
good news of great joy to his people at Hope and to our community through the people of Hope.

For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun.
Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wastelands. (Isaiah 43:19 NLT)