Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“A voice cries out:
In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, January 15, 2025
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
It’s our turn to cry out. Our society is a wilderness. Not in the cool, beautiful, nature definition—a place free of human intervention, and a testament to God’s power, beauty, and presence. But a wasteland, blighted and scarred by the continual ravages of greed and oppression driven by fear of death and meaninglessness. So many of us are worn down by the incessant messages thrown at us by marketers, that if we only buy this or that, we’ll be rendered permanently happy and secure. Worn down by the feelings of inadequacy and insecurity that strike us from the text and pictures in others’ social media posts. Worn down by the proclamation that we are not okay unless we are rich and have perfect bodies.
In the wilderness, prepare the way of God. Pave over the pernicious potholes of possessiveness. Straighten the savage spirals of self-doubt. Open the way for God to cut straight into your heart, soul, and mind and restore you to trust in the only thing that actually can bring you genuine and lasting happiness and security even when the whole world falls apart around you. And then your life, your example, will be a witness. You, yourself, become not only the voice of the one crying out in the wilderness, but the cry itself. Prepare the way of God!
How is my life a witness to transformational God’s work in the world?
