December 1 | Luke 3:2-6, 15-18

Dave Mann
Dec 1
2 min read

DAILY READING

REFLECTION

Spiritual Excavation

By Dave Mann

When I was a child, my family took several vacations in mountainous regions of the U.S. One of the amazing things for my young eyes was seeing the mountainsides that were cut out and then observing how the nearby valleys were filled in. The end result was that the road we drove on was relatively flat and smooth though the original terrain was steep, rugged, and perilous. Sometimes we were even privileged to see the huge heavy equipment excavating the terrain.

The benefits of using “cut and fill” techniques in road construction was that the terrain was reshaped to accommodate those travelling through, i.e., making it more suitable for its intended purpose.

John the Baptist, quoting Isaiah, must have envisioned some sort of spiritual excavation in the hearts of his audience.

Prepare the way for the Lord,

make straight paths for him.

Every valley shall be filled in,

every mountain and hill made low.

The crooked roads shall become straight,

the rough ways smooth.

Every valley shall be filled in. That is the “Cut” -- repenting of the sin of lofty pride.

Every mountain and hill made low. That is the “Fill” -- requesting the Lord to fill us with his Holy Spirit and to sanctify us for his work.

What do you think is the heavy equipment that God uses to scrape away at our pride? Is it his written Word, or the proclaimed Word, or perhaps the challenging counsel of a true friend who sees that we are going the wrong way? Whatever tool the Lord uses, it is held and manipulated by his skilled and loving hand.

For whose benefit is it that the crooked roads will be made straight? It is to prepare the way for the Lord -- inviting the Lord to do his work in us. John the Baptist and Isaiah are exhorting us to prepare a straight way through the tough job of repentance and the Holy Spirit’s task of changing the terrain of our hearts. We are not claiming that God has promised to make our way easy. Rather, we are looking to make the Lord’s way smooth, that is, it is a welcoming path into our hearts.

PRAYER

Lord God, I pray that you would grant my heart the desire to have my terrain rearranged. Scrape away my pride and fill my heart with your Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DAVE MANN

I am a Pastor for Internationals (retired) in the UALC community. I am married to Pam, father of four, and grandfather of seven. Pam and I have lived twenty of our years in other countries including France, Cameroon, Haiti, and Morocco. In retirement, we continue to enjoy writing devotionals, learning languages, and teaching English to internationals.