The Valley of Vision

The Lord, the Lord Almighty, has a day of tumult and trampling and terror in the Valley of Vision, a day of battering down walls and of crying out to the mountains...You built a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the Old Pool, but you did not look to the One who made it, or have regard for the One who planned it long ago. (Isaiah 22:5&11)

So...I’m doing Heather Lindsey’s 21 day journal challenge which started on January 1st. On day one, I actually created a vision board for my 2019 (well...more like a vision page lol in my journal). I had been feeling the need to do it for a couple of weeks simply because I want to be able to measure my progress at the end of 2019. I want to be able to say, God-willing, “I set out to do this, this and that and I accomplished two, three or all of those things. Prior to this, the Lord had downloaded a number of things that He had planned for my 2019 so I drew out everything I’d like to accomplish in this year based on that and I prayed for strength and grace to walk in obedience and see each of His promises come to pass. The 2nd day, I wanted to be intentional about how I spent my time journaling so I asked the Lord where in the Bible I should read from. He lead me to Isaiah 22. As I read the text, I realised that I had never seen or heard of this passage before which spoke about “The Valley of Vision” in reference to Jerusalem. You know how you can read a whole chapter but one verse sticks out to you? Well verse 5 struck a chord in me and I couldn’t shake it so I wrote it down in my journal as well as verse 11, titled it, “The Valley of Vision”. I read the chapter and I didn’t quite understand it. I didn't understand why verse 5 said, “The Lord, the Lord Almighty, has a day of tumult and trampling and terror in the Valley of Vision, a day of battering down walls and of crying out to the mountains.” I wondered why such a calamity was coming upon a land which was so powerfully named and why the paradoxical name Valley of Vision was given to begin with. Wouldn't it be easier to see from a mountaintop instead of a valley? Needless to say, I had a lot of questions. I closed my journal and asked God for insight. “What do You want me to get from this passage?” As the day went on, my mind moved on to other things and I forgot about my question to the Lord. The next night, as I’m preparing for bed, my mum knocks on my door and tells me she has something she'd like me to read so she comes in and hands me her journal from a FEW YEARS AGO, open to a page and at the top of the page, I see words, “The Valley of Vision” written in red ink. At that point, my eyes were the size of dollar coins and I was in total shock! I asked her why she had decided to show me the prayer and she said she was in bed and suddenly remembered this excerpt from a book she had read years ago and decided to look for the diary she had written it in. She found it and thought it'd be a good idea to share it with me. You can say it's a coincidence, but I don't believe in those. God knew I wanted answers and He nudged my mum by His Holy Spirit to bring those answers to me (she knows Him for sure!) I explained everything to her and we stood there just in awe of how our God works! I took a picture of the prayer and I read it several times. Here it is, a prayer from Arthur Bennett’s book, ‘The Valley of Vision’. 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 the deepest wells And the deeper the wells, the brighter the 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. As I read over the passage in light of the prayer my mum had shared I gained some insight into the reason for God's anger and the prophecy against the Valley of Vision. That city refused to repent of their pride and self-reliance and so Isaiah prophesied that God would allow them to experience invasion and attack from their enemies. However, in the midst of that, instead of turning to God, they tried to do it on their own. If you read the passage, you’ll see that they assessed the walls of the city, saw the weak points and instead of turning to God, they sought to fix it themselves. They tore down houses for materials to repair the weak places in the walls. They built a cistern to ensure that they'd have water but they refused to see the reason for their turmoil, their refusal to acknowledge the only One who could help them. I love the way The Message version puts it, “You looked and looked and looked, but you never looked to him who gave you this city, never once consulted the One who has long had plans for this city.” I challenge us this year to look to the only One who can help us: Jesus Christ. Vision begins and ends with Him. There’s no “living your best life” without Him. In all of our vision planning, did we think to start at the only Beginning there really is? At the end of the day, we could achieve everything on our list and still remain at the starting line of the race because we don't determine what success is, God does. You might want to “secure the bag, buy a fancy car, lose weight and slay all day” but what does GOD want you to do? What are the things on His list for you to do? In all of your planning, have you consulted God about His plan for your life this year or have you taken the reigns of your life, seeking to achieve something that God never asked you to do? Vision should start and end with God, not our own selfish desires. In 2019, let's not make the same mistake that Jerusalem did. Let's commit to lay down our pride and self-reliance and humble ourselves. Let's live out this truth: to be low is to be high, recognising that God honours humility. God knows our end from our beginning. If He's not the first one we consult about our future and our goals, then we're starting wrong. And if He's not the one we look to to help us accomplish all that He sets out for us to do, then we are heading for ultimate failure.

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

In 2019, I hope that we tap into Arthur Bennett’s revelation, “the way down is the way up”. Humility and God-reliance is the key to vision. William McDowell has a song that says, “some things I can’t see until I bow”. Your sight is in your surrender.

I just sense that some of you may be feeling an urgency to accomplish certain things because you’re following society’s timeline: the wedding, the career, the business, the house, the car, the two and a half kids. You are not on anyone else’s timeline but yours! In the midst of the pressure, don’t abandon your bow (surrender) for a culture-appointed vision of your own. Wait on God. Sit before Him. Offer up your desires and your plans to Him and let Him give you something much more lasting and valuable: His blueprint for your life. And if you’ve been doing everything in your own strength, it’s not too late to change. You can change course. You can stop trying to fix everything yourself and start looking to God for guidance and instruction. You can stop relying on your own understanding and acknowledge GOD in ALL your ways. Don’t be like Jerusalem in Isaiah 22, don’t look and look and look but never look to God.

Let us “learn by paradox that the way down is the way up”. Let us write a vision that is based on the Word of God and not our feelings or this culture’s template. There’s a path, just for you that God wants to take. Put down the tools you’re using to fix your life and instead find a place of surrender. And then...look up. You’ll see clearer than you ever have when you bow. Dig your wells of surrender deep, my friend, that you may see and know His plans for your life. Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for the grace that you give me to surrender in this moment. I release the reigns of my life and I yield control to You. Help me to acknowledge You in all of my ways and to look to You for guidance. Father, help me to walk in Your ways. Reveal Your plan for my year and help me to walk in obedience so that I can see those promises come to pass. Help me to learn that the way down is the way up. Faith Action: I encourage you to prayerfully, write the vision down, the God-given vision for your 2019. Sit in the presence of God and simply ask Him to reveal Himself and His plan for your life. Remember, you’re keeping time with no one else but God in this dance called life.

#ValleyOfVision #Surrender #Jesus #Future #2019 #GodsPlan