Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Perhaps Israel did not understand this prophetic message because it was sandwiched between words of victory and exaltation. It would seem difficult to receive a word that you are lost after a victory. The furthest thing from their minds would be that they were lost in the wilderness. The passage doesn’t explicitly say that, it says prepare ye the way of the Lord. The way was not yet understood.

In Matthew 3 John the Baptist preached repentance of sin and baptized all who confessed. He even declared that he was that voice in the wilderness spoken of in Isaiah 40:3. The way of the Lord is prepared by repentance and confession. Now it understood. But by whom is it understood?

Why was the cry made in the wilderness? Wilderness is seen as a place with no protection, being at risk, or a place to find the lost. For those who initially found John, they did not see themselves as lost. They were on a journey. Some were merchants. Their mission was monetary, their focus was on gain. Perhaps some within the caravan where travelers seeking protection of the merchants. Neither of these would consider themselves lost. Even if they heard John crying out, they might not recognize the message was meant for them.

When does the message of repentance and confession reach the lost? Only when they recognize their own personal wilderness experience. Those circumstances are beyond the call and control of the messenger. We may see a person and recognize they are in peril but we cannot give them that wilderness experience.

So, how do you know for sure that you are not lost? Neither your goals nor your security can define that position. You have to see it for yourself.