Voice In The Wilderness
Summer gives way to fall, which surrenders to winter, and then we behold the new life of spring! These natural transitions invigorate us while leading us on to new life and hope. The seasonality of God’s wondrous creation has a rhythm and purpose that both amazes us and, at times, confounds us with unexplainable joy. His Word (the Holy Bible) threads its way through the life-changing truth of God’s everlasting and fully transformative covenant with humankind.
The Bible bears witness to two distinct and inextricably linked seasons of humanity, which point to God’s faithfulness in the fulfillment of His love-covenant with those of His own created likeness. These two seasons are metaphorically embodied in the Old and the New Testaments. The Old Testament reveals God’s indescribable creative power, His unrelenting wrath against sin, and His mercy and grace in the face of utter rebellion. Through the “fall” and “winter” seasons of humankind’s relationship with our Creator, God’s faithfulness to His covenant has been true and unwavering. But as the degradation of sin grew, the time and opportunity passed for His children to be fully reconciled to their Heavenly Father by way of their “first fruit” sacrifices. Hence, the need for divine intervention became increasingly apparent.
The time had come for the new covenant which, like the emergence of spring, would bring the promise of new and everlasting life by way of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ. Jesus (metaphorically the “Vine”), while deeply rooted in the aquifers of God’s living water, would extend His reach and sustenance into His branches (those believers who are chosen, grafted and reborn), giving rise to the fresh, luminescent-green buds of His season and the delicious transforming fruit of His Holy Spirit.
In that watershed moment, the dead of winter gives way to the first warming rays of spring which are embodied in the truth of the birth of Christ. Then there is new hope being declared by the harbingers of faith who understand the times, recognize the signs, and watch excitedly for His return. Here then is the fulfillment of His covenant, and the reconciliation of His entire creation unto Himself. Nearing the end of the Old Testament (or in this analogy, the “winter of humanity”) there was a great prophet named John who saw the unmistakable signs of the coming spring. We read of him in Matthew 3:1-6 (NIV):
““In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying. ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near,’ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: ‘A voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”’
“John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.””
So the great prophet, “John the Baptist,” as he came to be known, was born for the purpose of drawing humankind’s attention toward its desperate need for forgiveness and repentance, and to herald in the coming of the “King of kings.” He cried out from the wilderness, beckoning all people to prepare the way of the Lord. John recognized that a new season of life was beginning and that there would be One following him whose sandals, he (by his own admission) was not even fit to tie. John’s pronouncement of the coming Messiah, and the summoning to repentance of God’s children, was a clarion call to the passing and fulfillment of the old covenant, and the birth of the new.
We, at The Voice of the Martyrs Canada, are blessed to continue our work in caring for the members of the persecuted church and telling their stories throughout the world. As we do, it is impressed upon us that those who are tormented for their faith – yet stand strong in the nearly debilitating face of evil – have a vision for this season of life and for God’s purpose in and through their suffering which can teach us a great deal. When one of His dear children is abused or killed for His sake, particularly when rejecting the demand to renounce their faith in Christ, the perpetrators and the rest of the world stand up and take notice. In one sense of the word, they, too, become the harbingers of faith in today’s world of faithless people. They demonstrate a most compelling reality about the authenticity and transformative power of their faith.
The “persecuted” are crying out from their own wildernesses, proclaiming that Jesus has come and that He alone can offer forgiveness for the sin that, in this season of life, is a growing plague upon the earth.
Thank you for upholding in prayer our precious brothers and sisters around the world whose story we are humbled to tell. May the Lord bless you and your household for the purposes to which He has called you.
- Doug
