The Valley of Vision

(Kenny)

My friend Butch sent me a Puritan meditation early this morning. I'm not sure Butch realizes that "contriti corde" is Latin for, roughly, "those whose hearts have been broken," though if he noticed the URL for this blog when he followed the link...well, that's a pretty big hint, dontcha think? ;-)

At any rate, R.I. and I each are, in our own ways, going through some bleak and emotionally exhausting times of externally imposed trial, taking our places in the fellowship of suffering that God's called and Chosen have through the centuries perforce known so intimately. Hence our daily prayer for each other; hence the name of this blog. And this meditation speaks exactly to where I, at least, am at the moment.

By the way, I believe it was St. Teresa of Avila who has the distinction of being perhaps the sole person ever to have bested God in repartee. I don't remember what bit of bad luck she had suffered, but it was one of that moments that every Christian has periodically when you suspect that God's going out of His way to make things more difficult than they need to be. St. Teresa, who was nothing if not outspoken, asked God bluntly, "Lord, why are you treating me like this?"

"Teresa," the Lord answered, "that's how I treat all my friends."

She fired right back. "Pues, por eso tienes tan pocos..." -- "Well, that explains why you have so few of 'em."

Here's the Puritan mediation "The Valley of Vision," which you can find in this collection (which, I might add, comes highly recommended by Butch).

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.