...highways

The Chunnel is a 31.4-mile undersea rail tunnel that connects Great Britain with northern France. The idea of a tunnel under the English Channel began in the 18th century, but that seemingly impossible dream finally became reality in 1994.

The channel tunnel is in fact three tunnels—one service tunnel with two passenger tunnels on either side. The main tunnels are 25 feet in diameter and are at an average of 130 feet beneath the channel’s seabed. The Chunnel was constructed with 1,000-ton, laser-guided machines that dug 15 feet an hour as they also built retaining walls. These machines were so precise that after the first tunnel was completed, they discovered they were only a few centimeters off course. 

The $13.5 billion, seven-year Chunnel is considered one of the wonders of the modern world. Work began in 1988 and took more than six years to complete. It came in at 80 percent over budget. Fires have disrupted service, and illegal immigrants have attempted to use the tunnel to enter England. 

The first proposal for a channel tunnel came in 1802 when a French mining engineer made plans that included illumination by oil lamps, horse drawn coaches, and an artificial island in the middle for changing horses. Over the years many more proposals came and went until the dream finally came true. 

When John the Baptist was asked, “Who are you?” one of his responses came from a quote from Isaiah 40:3, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord” John 1:23. When kings traveled through their territories in ancient times, it was common for servants to “prepare the way” for his carriage or chariot by straightening out and smoothing the roadway. John sought to make the pathway to Christ clear for people to receive the Lord. 

Like the precision of the Chunnel, we are called to accurately prepare the way of the Lord for people who do not know Jesus. May our lives be like a passageway for others to come to Christ. 

"Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts." Malachi 3:1

-doug  batchelor