Prepare the Way: Become a Waymaker for Yourself

Preparing the way, before opening it

You might know that strange feeling that rises as vacation dates approach: you can already smell the sea, the relaxation, the good food. Then comes the less enjoyable part, the one that stresses you out in advance: packing the suitcase. Not just yours: the kids', the dog's, remembering your spouse so you avoid the disaster of a trip without underwear, figuring out how many outfits will get dirty, what's needed for the beach, for evenings at restaurants.

That's exactly the image the Word uses to describe what a Christian goes through before becoming a waymaker, someone who opens a path. Before going to open a road for someone else, you first have to prepare your own. You don't become a bridge for others if your own suitcase is empty.

This message continues the series "Essere un Waymaker." On previous Sundays, you saw that being a waymaker requires knowing the Word of God, knowing how to comfort those around you because God himself has clothed you in his goodness, and having the courage to speak the Word. Today, one word reaches you: prepare.

The cry of Isaiah and John the Baptist

The verse that guides us is found in Isaiah 40:3: "A voice cries: Prepare in the wilderness the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." Isaiah prophesies a cry, but this cry will not come from his own mouth: it will resound about 700 years later, in the voice of a man by the Jordan, John the Baptist.

John was not a man like the others. It's easy to picture him as a hermit, a wanderer, a bit strange, the kind of person we'd instinctively avoid today. But that didn't concern him. He had one purpose: to prepare in the wilderness the way of the Lord. This calling was on him even before his birth: in Luke 1:41, the baby leaped in Elizabeth's womb when Mary greeted her cousin, because he already knew the Savior was coming.

This cry, "prepare the way," concerns you too. Notice the wording carefully: it's not "prepare yourselves," like a distant order. It's an inner, personal work you must do before you can be of any use to anyone else. Pack your suitcase.

A simple plan to prepare your road

1. Put the Word of God in your suitcase, every day. It is your point of support, your main content.
2. Receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Without him, the suitcase stays inert; with him, you're equipped to open ways.
3. Be consistent with your destination. Your life must match the path you claim to be walking.
4. Do God's will, not your own. Following Jesus's example, sometimes choose the action you don't want to take.

1. Filling the suitcase with the Word of God

The Word of God is described in Hebrews 4:12 as "sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow." Concretely? When you read the Bible and a verse touches you, that's not God standing before you with a threatening sword. It's God right beside you telling you: "Well done, you understood, that was for you."

Then, if words fail you in prayer, the Holy Spirit intercedes for you "with groanings too deep for words" (Romans 8:26). He reaches the deepest feelings of your heart, the ones you can't even put into words before God. Don't worry: he's there for you.

Then something is released. You let go of a weight, you're filled with the Spirit, the Word strengthens you, supports you, and helps you grasp your identity as a son or daughter of God. You understand that the Word is the rock you stand on. That's when you're ready to go out and prepare the way for someone else.

Like travelers at the airport dragging their rolling suitcase everywhere: take the Word with you everywhere. Every day. Meditate on it. It will make you strong enough to face nearly any situation.

2. Receiving the anointing of the Holy Spirit

In Isaiah 61:1, we read: "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to prisoners." When John the Baptist cried out "prepare in the wilderness the way of the Lord," he was speaking to a Jewish people who were parched, dry, distant from their God. He was preparing that people to receive Jesus.

Today, God is also preparing his people. Out there, there's a wilderness, with mountains to level and valleys to fill through the presence of Jesus Christ. And you, what have you received? You have received the anointing. You've been filled, clothed. You can pull that anointing out of your suitcase because the Holy Spirit lives in you. So you're ready to speak about Jesus and open a path for someone else.

There are so many people around you who don't know God, who don't even realize he exists. They need someone to introduce them to the Father.

3. Consistency, the signature of your life

When you pack your suitcase for the beach, you don't put in ski boots. When you go to the mountains, you don't bring stiletto heels or a tie. That seems obvious. Yet in the Christian life, the question keeps coming up: does what I put in my suitcase match my destination?

If you've chosen to walk on the Lord's path, you must wear clothing that shows others you belong to him. Emanuele Frediani reminded us of this at the conference: our signature is what we do. Others won't remember first what you said, but what you did. We bear witness to Christ through actions that are consistent with the Word.

A "Christian" sticker on your car won't make you a Christian if, at the first close call in traffic, you send the other driver packing. Here's a very simple example: learning to bless instead of curse. When someone puts your life or your children's lives at risk on the road, the fire rises; in that moment you can choose to say out loud: "I bless you in the name of Jesus." The other driver will look at you in their rearview mirror and think you're a bit crazy. But you're proclaiming words of life into their life. You're opening a path in their day. You don't know what will happen next, but something will happen. The Word promises it: "bless, and do not curse."

4. Doing God's will and not your own

Being a waymaker also means carrying out actions that go beyond our own will. Actions that, honestly, we have no desire to do. Look at Jesus's ministry on earth: he did great and wonderful things, but he also carried out things he could humanly have refused. At Gethsemane, he will say: "Not my will, but yours."

Preparing your road means accepting that God fills your suitcase with things you wouldn't have chosen yourself. Sometimes it will be a forgiveness to grant, a hand to extend to someone who hurt you, a visit to make, a service to render at the most uncomfortable moment. That's where you truly open a path: when you let yourself be led by him, not by your comfort.

Key takeaways

• You cannot open a path for others if you haven't first prepared your own.
• The Word of God is your main baggage: carry it everywhere, meditate on it every day.
• The Holy Spirit has anointed you; he intercedes for you when words fail.
• Your life must be consistent with your destination. Your signature is your actions.
• Bless, do not curse: every word of life opens a path in someone else's wilderness.

Personal application

1. What did I really put in my spiritual "suitcase" this week? The Word, or something else?
2. Is there, in my life, an inconsistency between the destination I'm aiming for and the clothes I'm wearing?
3. Who around me is waiting, without knowing it, for someone to open a path toward Jesus for them?
4. What is God asking me to do today that I don't feel like doing?
5. Do I bless those who hurt me, or do I curse them?

Verses cited

• Isaiah 40:3 : "A voice cries: Prepare in the wilderness the way of the LORD."
• Luke 1:41 : John leaps in Elizabeth's womb.
• Hebrews 4:12 : The Word, sharper than any two-edged sword.
• Romans 8:26 : The Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words.
• Isaiah 61:1 : The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.

FAQ

What does it mean to be a "waymaker"?

A waymaker, literally "one who opens the way," is a Christian who, following the example of John the Baptist, prepares the way of the Lord in the lives of others. He can only do this after having prepared his own road through the Word, the Spirit, consistency, and obedience to God.

Where do I start if I feel spiritually empty?

Start by opening the Bible every day, even for just a few minutes. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you. Let him intercede for you when you don't know what to say. The suitcase fills up gradually; it isn't prepared in one night.

How do I know if my life is consistent with my faith?

Look at your actions more than your words. Is your destination visible in your choices, your reactions behind the wheel, the way you talk about others, how you manage anger? A Christian's signature is actions consistent with the Word of God.