Simple Sunday Liturgy #12
Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly,
Thou has 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, a puritan prayer from the book, The Valley of Vision
What an incredibly powerful prayer! These words are imbued with the seemingly paradoxical ways of God. Jesus often taught this way in His parables.
A life of holy paradox is a deeply rich and meaningful life. It may not look as victorious as one would think, but the wells are deep and so is the Grace.
I’m going to pull out a few phrases for us to sit with. But let’s not sit alone. Let’s invite Jesus to come sit beside us. As I read the phrase, imagine Him next to you, in your favorite place to be. A chair in your favorite coffee shop, hiking in the mountains, on a towel on the beach. Maybe it’s your own sofa in your family room, quiet and tucked away.
Take a nice breath and allow your imagination to create this space.
As I read a passage, take it in, think about it, and then ask Jesus what He would like for you to see or know. Feel free to pause the recording so you can linger as long as you like. Maybe you could journal your thoughts if you have the time or are able. Otherwise just be in conversation with Jesus, but let Him do most of the talking.
“ I live in the depths but see thee in the heights”
“Let me learn by paradox…that the broken heart is the healed heart”
“Let me learn by paradox…that the repenting soul is the victorious soul”
“Let me learn by paradox…that to have nothing is to possess all”
Feel free to sit with any other phrases that seemed to shimmer for you.
Thanks for being with me today. See you next Sunday on Simple Sunday Liturgy. If you’d like to revisit any previous SSL, you can re-read those posts or you can also check out my podcast, Her Evergreen Soul, which has the VoiceOver for each Sunday’s post.
Or you can listen on Apple, Spotify, YouTube Music, or my YouTube Channel