“Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.”

— Isaiah 40:4

This passage in Isaiah describes the content of John the Baptist’s preaching, as shown in Luke 3:1-5. It is not about the topography of the land; it is not about road construction, as found in the Roman Empire. The prophet is speaking of the profound changes that need to take place in our lives for revival to come. “Every valley” refers to the dark places in our lives, the secret archives of the heart. Those valleys of darkness and sin need to be filled in and brought up to the light.The mountains refer to pride, haughtiness of spirit, and arrogance. The arrogance of the human heart needs to be broken down by the plow of God’s Word. The crooked paths speak of double-lives, of people who are hypocrites. When people are two-faced, they are not who they claim to be. The winding paths of their twisted lives need to be straightened out.The rough paths refer to things that are out of place in our lives. These paths need to be realigned with the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. When spiritual reformation takes place in our lives, revival will come, as we will see in Isaiah’s words that follow.Spiritual reformation happens before spiritual revival. We need to repent and seek God’s help in aligning our lives with his way. Then powerful revival will come.

Lord, search our hearts and reshape us. Fill our hidden valleys, humble our pride, straighten our crooked ways, and realign all that is rough. May your transforming glory be revealed in us. Amen.