JANUARY 26 - Valley of Vision

JANUARY 26 - Valley of Vision

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley

of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. — PSALM 84:5 – 6

 

In the days of the conquest of Canaan, the Valley of Baca was known as a dry, waterless place where only balsam trees could grow. Some have called it “a place of weeping.” However, when we trust God during dry, parched times, we can turn our valley of weeping into a refreshing “place of springs.”

 

My favorite Puritan prayer about valleys has seen me through many a dry place in my spiritual journey: “Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision. . . . 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.”5

 

Psalm 23:4 says, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” We fear no harm in the valley because death can only cast its shadow on us. Evil has no grip on us. Truly, we find God’s brightest glory in our darkest valleys.

 

Lord, you are the Great Shepherd who leads me through every dark valley. I trust you to turn my valley of weeping into a place of refreshment and encouragement.