On Wednesday evening, weather-permitting, we’ll gather up at Waterrock Knob on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a time of refreshment.
When I was a child, and upon learning that there was a magical road that could take you to the tops of the mountains etched on the horizon, the Blue Ridge Parkway enchanted me. What better way to experience our mountains than to meander and coast along their ridgelines?
It wasn’t until I was older that the genius behind the engineering of the parkway became clear. With some obvious exceptions, much of the parkway’s design is not stomach-churning like some other mountain roads. Like a ribbon placed along the contours of sand dunes, the road caresses the hills and hollows in a mystical, civil-engineered ballet. The road is elegant, with long stretches ascending and descending with curves that teeter but rarely tot. It’s as though the parkway pulls you along an ancient path that beckons and delights.
And it reminds me of the words of the Prophet, Isaiah:
A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken (Isaiah 40:3-5).”
We know that the artistry of the Blue Ridge Parkway didn’t happen on its own. Her creators achieved their lofty goal because they had a vision and brought both muscle and earth-moving equipment to their cause. Indeed, because of their hard work, the “uneven ground became level and the rough places became plain.”
According to the prophet, a highway was necessary for God’s people to traverse from exile back to the promised land. To “prepare the way of the Lord” meant removing the obstacles that had prevented God’s people from being led to the place of promise that He had for them.
I find this image of hewing through the mountains toward God’s good future to be very reassuring. Just as the creators of the Blue Ridge Parkway sought to remove the obstacles that existed for people to truly experience the depth and breadth of our mountains, God’s work in our world is like an expressway to where He intends for us to be.
The obstacles that we face feel as dark and foreboding as the Balsams at dusk. But God has not left us without a way through the wilderness. In fact, the journey through the ruggedness may be the best part of experiencing God’s glory.