The terrifying roar woke me. I shivered with fear and pulled my sleeping bag over my head wondering what in the world I just heard out there in the wilderness of the campground.
Wolf? No way.
What woke me was NOT a bark or a howl. I waited, and it came again…a fierce roar that made me wonder if there were lions in Texas. The primal growl, the park ranger told me the next day, came from the alligators that populated the camp.
That cry in the wilderness that jolted me from my slumber many years ago reminds me of the great Advent saint; John the Baptist. “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make straight the way.” John 1:23
John’s cry in the wilderness of Judea was heard by many. They came for miles around to hear his passionate preaching. John had no problem with rebuking and challenging. Repent! Repent, he cried. Those whose hearts were moved confessed their sins and were baptized.
There is a cry in the wilderness today. Can you hear it?
During the clamor and commotion of the holiday season, it can be hard to hear. Let the cry in the wilderness wake you. Let it shock you into repentance. Let that cry pierce your soul to help prepare the way and make straight the path of the Lord. And seriously consider heeding some of John the Baptist’s words, “Anyone who has two coats, should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” Luke 3:11
Oh, what a wonderful Christmas that would be.
