Highway of Holiness

Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days.

The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses.

Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers

and singing and joy!

The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon,

as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon.

There the LORD will display his glory,

the splendor of our God.

With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands,

and encourage those who have weak knees.

Say to those with fearful hearts,

“Be strong, and do not fear,

for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.

He is coming to save you.”

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind

and unplug the ears of the deaf.

The lame will leap like a deer,

and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!

Springs will gush forth in the wilderness,

and streams will water the wasteland.

The parched ground will become a pool,

and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land.

Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish

where desert jackals once lived.

And a great road will go through that once deserted land.

It will be named the Highway of Holiness.

Evil-minded people will never travel on it.

It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways;

fools will never walk there.

Lions will not lurk along its course,

nor any other ferocious beasts.

There will be no other dangers.

Only the redeemed will walk on it.

Those who have been ransomed by the LORD will return.

They will enter Jerusalem singing,

crowned with everlasting joy.

Sorrow and mourning will disappear,

and they will be filled with joy and gladness. (Isaiah 35:1–10 NLT)

Every parent has two chief roles: teacher and guardian. Today, let us focus on the former role. (We’ll touch on the latter role tomorrow.)

Every child comes into this world as a helpless bundle. Even most creatures in the animal kingdom can at least walk, swim, or waddle around on their own shortly after birth, but we humans are entirely uneducated in the art of anything beyond eating, pooping, and crying when we first arrive.

This is why the role of a parent as an instructor, teacher, and guide is so crucial. Parents are the source of information for pretty much everything a child learns those early years – from the simplest lessons of life, such as how to get dressed or make a sandwich, to the more complicated, like what it means to be a good friend and who God is and how our lives should be living worship services dedicated to him.

One of the most crucial aspect of parental instruction is teaching the difference between right and wrong. As Proverbs 22:6 says, “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”

As every good parent knows, we cannot prevent the consequences of our child’s own poor choices from impacting their lives, just as we cannot wrap our children in bubble wrap to prevent scrapes and bruises. Ultimately, our best hope is that they choose the right more and more often and learn from their painful mistakes and failures.

The Highway of Holiness Isaiah writes about is a road God has carved where we will be safe from evil people and dangers, but that says nothing about the gutters on either side or the fields running parallel to the highway. As travelers along this road, it is up to us to stay on the path, to not allow ourselves to be pulled aside.

In John Bunyan’s classic The Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian is traveling from his former home in the City of Destruction to the Celestial City, meeting friends and trials along the way. During one stint of his journey, he and a companion come upon By-path Meadow running parallel to the road they are on. Being much more agreeable to walk on, they divert from the road proper, which ultimately leads to being captured by Giant Despair and suffering consequences they could have otherwise avoided had they kept to the highway.

Too often we fall for the same temptation as Christian and his companion and find ourselves diverted from the Highway of Holiness. Consider the last time you strayed from the way of righteousness, whether for a day or an extended period. Ask our Father in Heaven to guide your feet as you walk this path today, tomorrow, and in the days and weeks to come, remembering that you are one of his ransomed one. May we not stray as we make our way to his holy city, singing with everlasting joy.