Listen

A voice cries out: “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. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Isaiah 40:3-5

Think

These words were already famous when Martin Luther King made them more so by quoting them in his “I Have a Dream” speech. In describing his dream of a beloved community, his voice rang out, “I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low. The rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”

The prophet Isaiah spoke with the same energy and hope. God was setting the captives in Babylon free! The prophet imagined God building a highway in the desert to make the path to freedom straight and fast.

God still dreams the same dream — captives set free, prisoners released, and smooth paths through dry and rocky ground. What is God’s dream for you and for the world this day? How will you work with God to make God’s dreams come true?

Grace Burton-Edwards

Pray

God of peace, give me your peace to let go of the past and cling to your future, and dream your dream for the world. Amen.

Go

Open my eyes, Lord, help me to see Your face.
Open my eyes, Lord, help me to see.

Open my ears, Lord, help me to hear Your voice.
Open my ears, Lord, help me to hear.

Open my heart, Lord, help me to love like You.
Open my heart, Lord, help me to love.

John Michael Talbot