TOPIC:"Deep Valleys with Mountain Top Visions"
"For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord
God of hosts in the valley of vision" (Isaiah 22:5)
In the Bible verses before us we find a prophecy from God about Jerusalem. Instead of returning to Him, the people put their trust in their own weapons and looked to the pagan nations around them for help. Isaiah the prophet warned them that if they did not repent and turn from their sinful way of living that God's judgment was going to fall upon them.
Now in Isaiah's prophecy there is a catchy phrase he uses that I want us to think about. In verses 1 and 5 we find the phrase "the valley of vision." The prophet Isaiah calls Jerusalem "the valley of vision." A "valley" for the city was surrounded on all sides by mountains. As a matter of fact, the land of Judah abounds with numerous valleys. Then, also, Jerusalem is called the valley "of vision" for here God revealed His divine plans to the prophets. But one must admit the phrase "the valley of vision" is a strange expression for visions do not usually come from the depths of valleys but from the heights of mountains. It is here at the top of mountains that we behold the beauty and grandeur of God's marvelous creation. It is from this advantage point looking down that the grandness and greatness of God's purpose for our lives may be clearly seen.
But as I grow older I am more convinced than ever that the most magnificent and significant of all visions come not from the mountain heights but from the valley depths that we Christians are called upon to go through. It is here that we learn more about the closeness of God, the faithfulness of God, and the sufficiency of God. As someone has put it: "Elevation is not everything." For it is in the valleys that we find the strength to struggle and the courage to continue. Here in the depth of the valley we discover in some new and fresh way the lessons God would have us learn. Let us consider now some of those lessons.
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