A Voice In The Wilderness

The following excerpt was taken from Preparing the Way: A Voice in the Wilderness by Patsy Cameneti:

Over the years I’ve been a part of road teams that built roads to where the glory of the Lord was revealed. Road

building for the manifestation of God’s glory is one of the greatest privileges I have known in my life. The majority of road work is not done in front of people it will affect, it is done only before God and for His glory.

We know generally that God wants to manifest His love and glory to all people and accomplish mighty works for them. But the roads to reach those people are not just general. If you want to go to a particular place, you must travel on a specific road. Not just “any old road” will get you there.

There are many different areas within nations to which God wants access. For instance, there’s the business world, the legal and political arenas, and the educational sphere, just to name a few. There are specific roads which need to be built in specific areas by people who have been stirred by God with compassion to pray.

While there is an important truth contained in2 Corinthians 6:17 – “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean” – it must be interpreted within a wider truth. We are not to love the world in the way that we eat of what it has to offer to satisfy our lives. It is impossible to eat of darkness and then bear fruit of light.

Darkness, however, is doomed to remain dark unless light is brought in. To evacuate the fields of education, politics, entertainment, and business because of the fear of defilement is to give the devil unhindered access to those areas for his purposes. If we don’t occupy and put down roots, something else will (Luke 19:13, 2 Chron. chapter 28)!

One of the last things Jesus said for us to do was to GO into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matt. 24:14). Of course we want to see the glory manifested in our churches, but God wants the whole earth to be filled with the knowledge of His glory as the waters cover the sea (Hab 2:14).

The Holy Spirit has been stirring the Church with the desire to access the places which are void of the glory of God. But desire alone will not get the job done.

John the Baptist prophesied as “one crying in the wilderness.” He used his voice to bring mountains down and low places up. His voice straightened crooked things and smoothed out the rough places. Our voices, like John’s, serve as a tool empowered by the Holy Spirit to prepare a road for Jesus and His ministry.

Just as the roles of people like Anna and Simeon will be reflected in the preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus, this ministry of John will also be mirrored in those who are involved in preparing the way of the Lord in these final days.