The Highway

Devotion by: Gale Bobzien

Isaiah 35:1-10
³⁵The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus ²it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.
³Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
⁴Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
‘Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you.’
⁵Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
⁶then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
⁷the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
⁸A highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Holy Way;
the unclean shall not travel on it,
but it shall be for God’s people;
no traveller, not even fools, shall go astray.
⁹No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
¹⁰And the ransomed of the shall return,
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

As I write this devotion, I am preparing for three very different birthdays. My granddaughter Katelyn celebrates her 12th birthday November 22 (and Kyle turns seven in January). Youth, energy, and unbounded potential come to mind. Early in December I reach a major birthday milestone – one that ends in zero. Retirement planning, long term health care, and estate planning come to mind; two very different birthdays.
With this birthday in mind, the 35th chapter of Isaiah resonates with me, “Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees…” And there’s more, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer…” I like that image.

But that image would not be possible without that third birthday. The best was saved for last. This is the birthday for which each of us prepares this time of year as we look forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. I am awed each Christmas Season as I enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas and realize that all of this started 2000 years ago with one birth.

The prophet Isaiah goes on to tell us, “A highway shall be there…the redeemed shall walk there.” That’s us! That’s what this one birth, life, death, and resurrection did for us. These three birthdays often mark life’s highway: youth, maturity, and life eternal.

Prayer: Gracious and Merciful God, thank you for birthdays. May each birthday we celebrate bring us closer to the one whose birth we celebrate each Christmas. Lead us along the highway of the redeemed so we may have life everlasting. This we pray in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen.