RE Verse reading–Mark 1:1-11 (Day Three) “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” John came baptizing, and for good reason. Baptism signifies a beginning—in our Christian tradition, of course, a new birth into life under the reign of Christ—and for the people in John’s day, a beginning of a new action of God in history. You can’t begin the day until you wake up. You can’t pick the vegetables until you sow the seed. You can’t run the race until you’ve forced your body to begin the training program. And you can’t listen to the Lord until you’ve braced your whole being to receive what he says. Baptism in 30 A.D. meant that people were ready to listen—really ready. If you want to hear God, John says, then prepare to do so. What’s the evidence that you’re poised for God’s words to you?
I am very curious about the life/ministry of John. I have tons of questions about how exactly he prepared a way for the Lord and if there are any implications as to how we are to prepare His way when witnessing or praying for revival, etc. It seems to me there is more here than I have ever thought of and so I continue to seek Wisdom so that I might learn all that I need to know.
I am not sure I have ever heard, “you can’t listen to the Lord until you’ve braced your whole being to receive what He says.” I am passionate about every Christian knowing that they have access to the Father through faith in Jesus alone. It is a relationship that we can enter into when we are restored to Him. My experience is that I do not have to add a bunch of extra rules that must be followed…. but BY FAITH I enter in and fellowship with My Father….. and hearing is a part of this.
My heart is that putting a condition onto something such as hearing from God… which is so very vital to our Life…that is not directly scriptural might (even if unintentional) hinder the precious children of God from turning to Him, inclining their ears to His voice and putting no confidence in the flesh, clinging only to the work of Jesus. I have not once every felt that I had to be perfect or “clean up” in order to come to Him…. it is the coming to Him that then leads to the progressive journey of cleaning up.