Amy Lundell

John 1:19-23

Friday, February 16

19 This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" 20 He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, "I am not the Messiah." 21 And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the prophet?" He answered, "No." 22 Then they said to him, "Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" 23 He said,

"I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, "Make straight the way of the Lord." 

Ever have one of those days or weeks, or years where nothing seems to go right and you feel like the universe is against you? You might feel tested, frustrated, angry or downright hopeless. 

I think the Israelites could relate to these challenging moments of human life. After all they were forced to live in exile, displaced from their home and land, and captured by the Babylonians, and then hundreds of years later they were forced to live under the control of an oppressive Roman government.

In today's text, John calls upon the words of the prophet Isaiah "I am the voice of the one calling in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord." John, is offering hope to the Israelites that God is with them even through their pain and suffering and He will make things right in the world once again. John offers us hope in our hopeless state which gives us the patience to wait for God to restore our lives.

Questions for reflection:

• Who might be helping you see the hope in your situation?
• What gives you hope in tough times?

Prayer

God, when we feel hopeless, help us to listen to your voice calling out to us.