February 10

The Coming of the Lord

Prepare the way for the Lord. — Matt 3:3 BSB

The Lord is always coming to us or ready to come, as long as the way is open for Him. Yet no doubt we often miss heavenly visitations because the road to our hearts is blocked. If we want to receive His visits, we must keep the path clear. Sins we hold onto, unconfessed and unrepented, block His way. Christ cannot come to us until those sins are removed.

There’s another sense in which we must prepare the way of the Lord: He may come at any moment in death to call us away from this life. Is our heart prepared for His coming? Are we ready for Him at any moment? Are our spiritual lamps filled and burning? Are we dressed and ready, with our shoes on our feet and our staff in hand? If He came right now, how would He find us? Peter gives good counsel when he says, “Be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” Would Christ find us this way if He came today? Are we at peace with God, at peace with ourselves, and at peace with others? Would He find us without spot, having kept our hearts pure and unblemished by the world? Are we living blamelessly, with lives so sincere and true that the world finds no fault in us and Christ Himself approves?

It’s good for us to think about these things. If the way is not prepared, we should hasten to get ready, for He may come at any moment. The Jews were taught to prepare the way for the Lord’s coming by repenting of their sins and turning their hearts to God. That’s what each of us must do if we want Christ to come to us with His blessings: every sin must be cleared away.