Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
- Isaiah 40:4-5 (NKJV)
Today is a federal holiday in the United States, marking the birthday of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Living in a time of social unrest in this country, this man worked tirelessly for civil rights in America.
He was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s model of nonviolent resistance and believed that peaceful protests would lead to victory.
His most iconic speech, “I have a dream”, delivered on August 28, 1963 contained references to today’s verse among many others.
Excerpts from his speech include:
I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream . . . I have a dream that one day in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today . . .
Dr. King understood that his dream of social justice and racial equality was in harmony with God.
I am not sure if we are closer to realizing this dream today or further away from it.
I wish that more humans would comprehend that violence is not the answer.
I truly hope to someday see the words of this verse come true, to see crooked places made straight and rough places made smooth.
I hope to witness the glory of the Lord revealed.
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