The Gospel of Mark begins with the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy:
“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”—
“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.”
And so, “John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:1-4).
Straight paths are a luxurious form of travel, both now and in the ancient world. King Charles does not sit through a ten-hour layover in the Denver airport. He travels direct routes with no potholes, bandits, or unexpected detours. The Lord of Heaven and Earth surely deserves a straight path.
So where is John the Baptist’s construction crew? How do we make roads worthy of Jesus? The prophet’s answer is to repent and receive forgiveness for sin. Repentance goes beyond simple regret. True repentance is a turning away from the past, a shift in worldview or fundamental belief. When we repent of our sin and accept Christ, God is faithful to forgive us. We become conduits of grace, avenues for Jesus’ mission and ministry to flourish. We are the straight path on which God travels.
Over thirty years ago, Joe and Vera Wiatt met Brother Guillermo in Antigua, Guatemala in 1991. A Franciscan monk, Brother Guillermo served as the Director of Las Obras Sociales del Santo Hermano Pedro, a home for the “incapacitated and abandoned.” Joe and Vera returned home and heard the call from the wilderness, and, recognizing the voice of the Holy Spirit, responded.
Under the Wiatt’s faithful leadership, the first surgical team flew to Antigua to operate at Las Obras. The rest is history
Brother Guillermo, and the Wiatt’s all heeded the Holy Spirit’s call. God transformed their hearts into a straight path, an avenue for grace. Jesus worked through these paths, bringing care to Guatemalans in need.
God does not need our participation to save the world. He is perfectly capable of helping those in need without us. But God loves to use his people to serve the hurting and broken.
For the past thirty years, Faith in Practice has sent hundreds of teams to Guatemala to build wheelchairs, perform surgery, and provide localized clinical care. Each group builds the path forward. God’s grace stretches on for miles.
The voice in the wilderness still calls out: prepare the way for the Lord, make the paths straight for him. More and more teams heed the call, continuing the work that the Wiatt’s began so many years ago. We can’t wait to see how far God’s grace will travel.
-Allie Rhoades
Faith In Practice would like to congratulate Allie Rhoades, our esteemed Devotionals Author, on the joyous arrival of her precious baby girl!
Kindly join us in keeping the Rhoades family in your thoughts and prayers during this special time.
