Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him who cries in the wilderness, Prepare the way of Jehovah, make straight a highway in the desert for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked places shall be made level, and the rough places smooth; 5 and the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of Jehovah has spoken.

Does it matter? Does what I do matter at all? Am I making a difference? Does anyone hear at all? Will this make a difference? Missionaries who have heeded the call to become the lone voice in the wilderness crying, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord!” have at one time or another asked themselves these questions. The answer sometimes isn’t forthcoming. For the one called John who identified himself with this prophecy from Isaiah was himself plagued with doubt. He sent his disciples to Jesus to ask Him if He was really the Messiah. Jesus, ever so gentle, didn’t rebuke His cousin for his seeming lack of faith. Instead He pointed to the fulfillment of another prophecy of Isaiah – the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead raised, and the poor have the Gospel proclaimed to them (Matthew 11:4-5).

So, am I making a difference studying language, teaching English, taking care of orphans, being friendly to my neighbors, setting up a business amidst this heathen culture…? The answer comes in the form of another question: Has the good news of the Lord been preached to the poor? Is He binding up the broken-hearted? Is freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners, and the year of the Lord’s favor being proclaimed? Are those who mourn being comforted? Is Jesus bestowing on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair? (Isaiah 61:1-4). Imagine voices in the wilderness as flickering lights that guide the weary and the lost in the darkest of nights. Of your constant cries, would you know which particular one felled this great oak of a sinner to follow the Master? Of your constant words of encouragement, which one made a fiend a friend of Jesus? One will never know. Just as John of old didn’t know. But we rejoice in that we are counted among them who for one brief moment shone, with all our might, for Him who alone is Light, who alone is Truth, and who alone is Life. May we all continue to shine, and may we all continue to cry: “Prepare ye the way of my Lord!!!”