The Valley of Vision

... peeling back the layers of my heart to reach the core, I am truly bare and broken. I confess Lord my distrust/anger/jealousy, the emptiness of my heart. How I truly hate hate my sins, hate how I hate others, how I care for my nothing but my agenda and advancement, how I struggle to genuinely love. Teach me to put other's interest before my own, to truly love my enemies...

I am nothing but a little speck in the history of eternity, how can you truly help me? God, I often wonder why you care about your people. Why do you care to hold on to your promises to never neglect us? I flee from your presence, I run towards hopeless pleasures.

That is the paradox. In my deepest valleys of my heart's emptiness, you are my all in all. I look toward the cross - the hope for the future. That ONE DAY I will no longer have to fight anymore for there will be no more tears, no more sorrow.. and I will not be shaken anymore.


LORD, HIGH AND HOLY, MEEK AND LOWLY
Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,
where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights;
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy 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 to 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 thy stars shine;
Let me find thy light in my darkness,

thy life in my death,
thy joy in my sorrow,
thy grace in my sin,
thy riches in my poverty
thy glory in my valley.

"The Valley of Vision"