One Brick at a Time: Preparing the Way
Scripture
Luke 3:4 (NIV)
“As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'”
Nehemiah 4:6 (NIV)
“So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.”
Devotion
This week we looked back on weeks of messages as “one brick at a time” and “clearing the way for the bridge.” That’s exactly what John the Baptist did in the wilderness. He was a forerunner. His job wasn’t to be the main event; his job was to prepare the way.
Preparation rarely looks impressive. Nehemiah’s people weren’t doing miracles; they were stacking stones. John wasn’t in the temple courts; he was out in a barren place, simply preaching repentance and calling people back to God. Yet heaven called that “preparing the way of the Lord.”
In your life, there are “bridge-building” moments that don’t feel spiritual at all: making time for prayer, cutting out a compromise, reconciling a relationship, investing in a child, serving faithfully at church, going to a place everyone else avoids. These are bricks in the bridge God is building.
The temptation is to despise “small” steps and wait for some dramatic “Acts 2” upper-room moment, but Pentecost only came after obedience, persevering prayer, and staying where Jesus said to stay. Pastor Darren reminds us: we may not be “building the bridge” yet, but we are clearing the way, laying foundation blocks, getting ready for construction.
God is calling you to be part of that preparation. Your voice, your obedience, your daily choices are making a way—for others and for a move of God you haven’t seen yet.
Reflection
Luke 3:4 (NIV)
“As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'”
Nehemiah 4:6 (NIV)
“So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.”
Devotion
This week we looked back on weeks of messages as “one brick at a time” and “clearing the way for the bridge.” That’s exactly what John the Baptist did in the wilderness. He was a forerunner. His job wasn’t to be the main event; his job was to prepare the way.
Preparation rarely looks impressive. Nehemiah’s people weren’t doing miracles; they were stacking stones. John wasn’t in the temple courts; he was out in a barren place, simply preaching repentance and calling people back to God. Yet heaven called that “preparing the way of the Lord.”
In your life, there are “bridge-building” moments that don’t feel spiritual at all: making time for prayer, cutting out a compromise, reconciling a relationship, investing in a child, serving faithfully at church, going to a place everyone else avoids. These are bricks in the bridge God is building.
The temptation is to despise “small” steps and wait for some dramatic “Acts 2” upper-room moment, but Pentecost only came after obedience, persevering prayer, and staying where Jesus said to stay. Pastor Darren reminds us: we may not be “building the bridge” yet, but we are clearing the way, laying foundation blocks, getting ready for construction.
God is calling you to be part of that preparation. Your voice, your obedience, your daily choices are making a way—for others and for a move of God you haven’t seen yet.
Reflection
- Where do you sense God has you “clearing the way” instead of doing something flashy?
- What “brick” could you lay today—a simple act of obedience or service that prepares a path for Jesus in someone’s life?
- Pray: “Lord, keep me faithful in the small bricks, even when I can’t yet see the whole bridge.”