ThroughTheValley
Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, You have brought me into the valley of vision, Where I live in the depths but see you in the heights; Hemmed in by mountains of sin and disease, I behold your glory.
Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, that the valley is the place of vision.
Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, And the deeper the wells, the brighter your stars shine; Let me find your light in my darkness, Your life in my death, Your joy in my sorrow, Your grace in my sin, Your riches in my poverty, Your glory in my valley.
(updated “The Valley of Vision” from The Valley of Vision, Puritan Prayers and Devotions)
In his recent message on Psalm 23, our pastor highlighted one of my personal favorite parts of this Scripture: “even though I walk through the valley…I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” The word through indicates that while the valley may be our current place, it is not our permanent residency. Every life consists of ups and downs, celebrations and sorrows, hills and valleys. And wherever we find ourselves, we can rest assured that the Good Shepherd is with us – protecting, comforting, and loving us. I have found in my own life that God has used my times in the valley to prune me, stripping away the things that were holding me back from His very best. And though very painful, it’s what was necessary for me to grow. He has used the valleys to show Himself faithful in ways I wouldn’t have seen anywhere else. He has used the valleys to adjust my vision – my vision for what’s important in this life; my vision for what God wants me to do with this life; my vision for who He is in the midst of this life.
Our entire world is walking through the valley at this very moment. Some are without hope, others are looking for hope, and still others are clinging to hope. In God’s economy, nothing is wasted, not even a worldwide pandemic known as COVID-19. None of this is outside the scope of His sovereignty. Nothing can come to us without first passing through the hand of God, and while that is so hard to understand in circumstances like these, we can be certain that it is not without purpose. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” We are surrounded by shadows in these days, but God is still with us. His light still shines. He is known for taking the worst thing to ever happen in the history of the world – the brutal murder of His innocent Son- and making it the greatest thing to ever happen in the world – providing a way for us to be eternally saved. Trust that He is using even this to accomplish His greater purpose. Allow His light to shine through you, letting others know the hope that you have in Jesus. Don’t let yourself get stuck in all the muck of the valley. Brush yourself off and keep moving – we’re going to get through this. Adjust your vision to see beyond the valley. Focus your eyes to see the Good Shepherd walking right beside you, with rod and staff in hand. Look for ways to see the fingerprints of God like you never have before. He’s not far off looking down on all this. He is right here, in the valley, with us. The valley is the place of vision. What will your eyes choose to see?
Lord, give us eyes to see Your light, Your life, Your joy, Your grace, Your riches, and Your glory as we walk through this valley. Cover us with Your goodness and Your mercy. Encourage us to fear no evil, knowing that You, the Good Shepherd, are with us every step of the way.
