God prepares his way in our lives.

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A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 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. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Isaiah 40:3-5 English Standard Version

The U.S. Park Service has done a masterful job of building roads and parking lots that prepare visitors for the amazing vistas of the limestone hoodoos at Bryce Canyon National Park. Miles of trails have been constructed through these hoodoos allowing the imagination of the adventurous to explode with visions of mystical creatures.

Bryce Canyon, Utah

Take away the roads and the trails, a trip through Bryce Canyon becomes a nearly impossible adventure. The cliffs, hoodoos and canyons become obstacles rather than works of art. Pioneers who stumbled across this magnificent work of God’s hands must have been quick to find a way around it rather than through it.

Our lives reflect the canyons, hoodoos and cliffs of this canyon. We ask God to help us find a way around these obstacles, but instead God promises to make a way through our obstructions that make up the wilderness of our lives.

Isaiah proclaims that God “lifts up” every valley. God makes his way through our obstacles by raising our broken spirits.

Isaiah also announces that God makes low “every mountain and hill.” God makes his way through our obstacles by bringing low our inflated egos.

God’s work in our lives creates a highway for him to work in and through us. The power of forgiveness in Christ is God’s gift that allows us to let go of our failures and successes. Forgiveness transforms us from the inside out.

Heavenly Father, remove the obstacles that keep me from seeing the beauty of your work in my life. Lift up my broken spirit and cause my ego to bow before your throne that I might be your highway of grace. Amen

Picture and Text Copyright Douglas P Brauner