Week 4: Listening to the Son
Make the Way Straight and Welcome
Week 4, Day 1
One cannot listen as clearly when there is interference. A muffled sound creates confusion and doubt regarding the clarity of the message. When John the Baptist came onto the scene, the priests and Levites were sent to ask him who he was and what he was doing. John affirmed that his purpose was in fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah, “a voice crying out in the wilderness, ‘make straight the way of the Lord’” (John 1:23, ESV). What does it mean to make straight the way of the Lord?
When building a normal road, the twists and turns, rises and falls of the road follow the lay of the land and the curve of the mountains. However, when a road is prepared for royalty, the way is made straight. Mountains are moved, curves are straightened, the path made smooth. When we prepare our listening ears, how can we make the way straight for the Lord?
One idea is to welcome Him as King like the Jews did upon entering Jerusalem (Matt. 21:5-11, ESV).
5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
On the next page, there is a blank palm branch with the word Hosanna. Hosanna means “adoration, praise or joy.” In a spirit of praise and with an attitude of listening, we are going to lay our burdens and our thanksgivings at His feet. In the leaves of the branch, write things that you are thankful for, or burdens you are carrying. Picture yourself laying these branches before Him and giving it over to Him. We are making the way straight; we are opening the path to our hearts. We are removing any obstacles; we are opening our ears. We are welcoming the King of Kings as Lord of our life and speaker of truth. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
We would love to hear from you! Please share with us what you are hearing and how you are growing in your devotion to listening.
This blog post is taken from the book Called to Listen: Forty Days of Devotion. To order a copy of this book, please visit our website and invite a friend to participate in the study with you. The book includes additional guides and questions to be reviewed in a small group context weekly.