Every Valley Shall Be Filled

Do you love nature?
Although I didn’t care much for nature as a kid, I definitely enjoy it as an adult. A couple of things I really enjoy are being near a river or a body of water, walking through a forest, late-night runs under the stars, and being in the middle of a warm rain (is that weird? I don’t know).

Did you know that Scripture uses nature to teach us about spiritual truths? An example everyone knows is the Good Shepherd in Psalm 23: “He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength.” Does Jesus physically manifest Himself to walk us to the nearest park for some downtime on the lawn? No. We understand this as a spiritual picture of how our Savior gently leads our souls to a quiet and restful retreat—that is, when we come to Him.

One passage that has been on my mind deals with the spiritual landscape of the Kingdom of God. Recalling the prophecy of Isaiah, the Gospel of Luke records the voice of John the Baptist as “…one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. Every ravine shall be filled up, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough roads smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God’” (Luke 3:4–6). As the forerunner to the Messiah, John the Baptist spoke of Jesus. At the coming of the Lord of Glory and His Kingdom, lofty mountains shall be leveled, and valleys shall be filled.

Does this mean Jesus walked around with TNT, looking for mountains to demolish with the disciples? Or that He carried a shovel wherever He went? No. So what does this passage refer to? How do these spiritual images apply to us?

Let me give you a beautiful example of a “filled valley.”

“When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. And a man with leprosy came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.’ Jesus reached out with His hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ And immediately his leprosy was cleansed” (Matthew 8:1–3).

Can you imagine this scene? Jesus has just finished preaching the Sermon on the Mount and is immediately surrounded by a multitude. As He begins to walk down the mountain, a mysterious figure suddenly approaches Him. To everyone’s horror, it is a man plagued with leprosy.

At this point, it’s helpful to understand the context of Jesus’ day. Leprosy was a terrible disease in which a person’s body rotted away inch by inch. Lepers often lost their fingers, toes, noses, ears, lips, and eventually their limbs. Because they were disfigured by the disease, they looked like the living dead. The law required lepers to be cast out of society and to shout “unclean” whenever they came near people. Approaching a leper in public was illegal, and many people threw stones to keep them at a distance. People were required to stay at least six feet away from a leper (ancient social distancing!) and 150 feet away if the wind was blowing. This was all to avoid contracting the disease.

Now, imagine you were a leper. How would you feel if this was your life? I bet you’d feel hopeless, purposeless, and alone. I imagine you’d feel like a valley—empty of life and low.

Let’s revisit the story. Jesus is walking with the large crowd when a leper approaches. The crowd grabs stones, ready to drive away this cursed man. Despite the shame and danger, the leper presses closer to the Savior. Bowing down, he expresses the hope in his heart: “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Is He willing, or is He like everyone else? The leper’s past, present, and future rest on this intense moment.

What does the Savior do when He comes to a valley?
He fills it in.

“…He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”

To the man whom no one had touched in years, Jesus extends His hand. To the one who cries out “unclean,” Jesus declares, “be cleansed!” This is our Savior. He is our Good Shepherd. With Him, we shall not want.

Do you feel like a spiritual valley or a leper? Let me encourage you to come to Jesus. The leper could have stayed at a distance from Jesus because of his filth but chose instead to approach Him with faith. If Jesus is willing to reach out and touch a leper, who is He unwilling to touch?

In faith, run to Jesus today. He is a rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

In Christ’s love,
Pastor Dan