2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, "Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, 3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'" 4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. (Mark 1:2-4)

The Quotations

Mark rarely quotes from the Old Testament Scriptures. When he does quote them, it is only the characters of the particular episode -- usually Jesus -- quoting them.

This makes the beginning of Mark's gospel interesting because these are the only Old Testament verses Mark himself takes the time to insert into his record. Right here, at the launch of his book, he clips together a few Old Testament passages. Since the major one is from Isaiah 40:3, Mark says it is written in Isaiah the prophet, but he also quoted from Exodus and Malachi.

In the Exodus passage, God promised to send his angel to go before Israel as they departed from Egypt and headed to the Promised Land. In the Malachi passage, God promised to send his messenger to prepare the way before him. And in the Isaiah passage, God promised a wilderness voice would come to ready God's people for the way of the Lord.

The King Cometh

The prophecies conjured up the image of a coming king. This king would bring with him the glory of the Lord (Psalm 24:7-10). And before the king's arrival, a messenger, a voice from the wilderness, would prepare his route. He would fill in the low places and make low the hills; he would prepare the road for this coming king.

All of this speaks of John the Baptist's ministry in preparing the way for the coming of King Jesus. When John arrived, he broke 400 years of silence. God had not spoken to Israel since the days of Malachi. As the decades turned to centuries, everything went from bad to worse, and it seemed all hope was lost.

But God was not done. His King would come. Jesus, at the proper time and place, would arrive. And John would prepare his way by helping people prepare for his arrival (3). He was to make Jesus' paths straight (3). He did this by appearing in the wilderness, baptizing people in the Jordan River (4). His was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (4).

Prepare the Way

It seems John was used by God to stir people up afresh to the presence of God. Once in tune with the reality of God once again, they sought out the forgiveness of sins (4). They would then get baptized, not as Christians do, but as Jews of that day did, as a way to use a ceremony to demonstrate what was going on in their hearts. They wanted to be clean!

John had this preparatory effect on the people of his day. And Mark wants the same for us today. He wants King Jesus to come into our lives and find a smooth path that enables him to jump right in and exercise his authority in our lives. Our hearts, minds, and bodies should be under his sovereign rule, part of his domain, his kingdom.

And as John emerged from the wilderness, pleading with people to get right with God, they would have repented of sin and turned to God again. This all required introspection on the part of John's hearers.

With all this in mind, here are some practices which help prepare your heart for Christ's reign.

• A daily appointment with him: This is a time for you to listen for his voice, to surrender your day to him, and to ask for his help for the day to come.
• Scripture reading: Whether reading the Bible slowly or quickly, it is the word of the King, and you will find he will use the Bible to talk to your heart.
• Silence and solitude: Sometimes, we need to sit quietly before God. Turn off the phone. Tune everything else out. Be alone with your thoughts. Talk to God. Good things happen.
• Failure: When we fail, it can serve as a great driving force to push us back to God. He forgives, cleanses, and picks us up. When my limitations are glaring at us, it creates desperation in our hearts, a longing for King Jesus to have his way in us!