Only One Way?

The voice of one crying in the wilderness; “Prepare the Way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  Isaiah 40:3 (emphasis mine).

I don't believe Isaiah subscribed to Universalism; the idea that there are many ways to God. He wrote in the singular – “the way, a highway,” when he described God's way. God believes in diversity and individuality. He invented them. Look around and see the unique elements of creation that bear His signature. On one point He does refuse to compromise, even one iota.

“I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me,” Exodus 20:1-3.

In case anyone misunderstood that statement, God reaffirmed his position in Isaiah 48:8.

“I am the Lord, that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.”

Period. End of Discussion. God set the benchmark for Supreme Being evaluation. He claimed the top spot for Himself with no exceptions.

Instead of getting ourselves all in an uproar, we should be grateful. God's made the most important decision of our lives incredibly simple. There's only one God. No need to run the gauntlet of a pantheon of gods hoping to appease them all. There's no spiritual juggling act. Lots of gods leaves lots of plates spinning in the air; a real recipe for disaster. The more there are, the greater the potential for failure grows exponentially. Your theology ends up on shaky ground or thin air.

Consider this. When you need help, a straight answer, some immediate action, where is your best chance for success? Would you prefer to deal with an individual or a committee? God kept it simple. He's the one and only Final Authority. The buck stopped with Him and that made our lives much simpler.

Isaiah said to prepare a highway, not just cut a trail. When God comes He needs room to move. Privileged to glimpse into the future and see God's plan of salvation Isaiah discovered both Jews and Gentiles were included. In his day, that was radical thinking.

God's highway is roomy enough for all who choose to call Him Lord to walk together. This past Valentine's Day, Bob Jones a well respected prophet, went to heaven for the last time. God told him years ago that a harvest of one billion (that with a b) souls would occur. Bob didn't live to see the fulfillment of the word, but he believed he saw the first fruits of it. How big of a highway would a billion people plus God need? I'm no engineer but I think we ought to break out the heavy equipment and start leveling the ground. God's on the move and He's bringing many with Him. Company's coming, let's get prepared.