Saw this on Shizuka Blog. It’s from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions:

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.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us).

– Matthew 1:18-23 (ESV)

Joseph doesn’t get much attention, but I think that if nothing else is said about me after I’m gone, the words “he was a just man” would be sufficient. Joseph could have done many things, up to and including having Mary shunned or even executed as an adultress. I’m sure Joseph was very troubled, hurt, and even shamed by Mary’s pregnancy, prior to learning the divine nature of it, but being a just man, and out of his affection and concern for her, Joseph wanted to do the right thing.

We need more Josephs in this world.

“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Beautiful. In Hebrew I’m told that Jesus’ name (Yeshua) means “Yahweh is salvation”. I love the straightforward, direct nature of the angel’s pronouncement. He’s our Savior! Call him “Jesus”.

Matthew then quotes from the majestic book of Isaiah:

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

– Isaiah 7:14 (ESV)

Immanuel means “God with us”.

God, becoming a man of flesh and blood to save his people from their sins; this is the gospel, pronounced to a bewildered and troubled man named Joseph. A man who at the time had no idea that what was, up until that moment, the cause for his deep personal concern and sorrow would soon become the greatest joy the world had ever known.

As an addendum to my previous post . . .

I always try to think of something wise, or clever, or encouraging to say in this space. But I’ve learned that most of the time the Bible pretty much says it all.

Case in point, the last two verses of Psalm 40:

Work was hard today. There are just a lot of things going on, many of which are not good. I was a bit short of peace today, and I was also a bit “short” with some people that didn’t deserve that. I regret it (and I’ve apologized).

I dropped my daughter Molly off at ministry night at our church’s student ministry and started praying a bit as I drove away. Then I turned on the radio. It was a sports station, which generally works well for background noise on my trek home. But I decided to switch to our local Christian radio station. A girl on the radio read this verse as soon as I tuned in:

I waited patiently for the Lord;

he inclined to me and heard my cry.

– Psalm 40:1 (ESV)

All I could think at that moment was “thanks, God”. David wrote that psalm having been delivered from far more physical danger and trouble than I’ve ever known. But the spiritual danger that God has rescued me from was as soul-shattering as that of any member of fallen humanity. He is my Rescuer. Even in the midst of the tiny-tribs that I go through, I can cry out to Him.

After that verse was read and a few more encouraging words spoken, I heard these words sung:

Thanks, God, again! Where else can I go? Where would I want to?

Facing life without Jesus would be . . . well, I don’t want to think about it.

I’m praying tomorrow’s a better day. Starting from inside of me and rippling outward. I’m not asking God to remove the small measure of turmoil I go through. I’m just praying I’ll handle it better. And that when the huge turmoil of life finally hits (and it will, someday) may I be found faithful.

I need You Jesus . . .

This morning I wanted to post something that describes how I’m feeling right now. To be honest, I’m feeling just a little bit low. It’s been a strange week; There are some burdens that I’ve been carrying this week and, frankly, I’m also wondering if I’m not under some sort of spiritual oppression. Not that I want to pull the Spiritual Warfare card every time I’ve got a heaviness on my heart, but I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what’s going on.

Well, words don’t come easy, so no post was forthcoming. Then lo and behold I came across this quote fronted by the inestimable Rich in comment #643 of the Thinklings Word Tag Meme (which is, by the way, a splendid and clever little meme you really must check out. I must say, bravo and kudos to the intelligent and devastatingly handsome young man who created that meme!):

We all have our times of being strong and our times of being weak. The swings of the pendulum cover different ground for different ones of us, and the swings of the pendulum are of greater intensity for one of God’s children than another. But the swings are there for all of us – for weakness and unhappiness and also for sin. It is for this reason that any honest person must be totally in despair unless they understand the reality of the finished work of Christ upon the cross for us. If it was not for this, none of us could have any peace of mind either for this world or from the world to come.

The wonder is that when we know God’s forgiveness is based upon the infinite value of Christ’s finished work, we can then have peace of mind and knowledge of His love, even in the midst of our weakness and depression. And again, we all have depressions too; since the Fall, none of us are psychologically healthy or perfect morally. And I must say that depressions are very hard. This is not unknown to me; though most people do not know it, I have my own periods of depression which are very difficult. I realize that they are not as deep or as often as some people’s…. But I do understand the depth of feeling that can be involved. But again – and I speak here not from theory but from experience – in the midst of our down times we can know that His arms are about us, and that He does not let us go when our hands are as weak as water. [Emphasis mine]

— from Letter Thirteen, Times of Strength and Times of Weakness, Francis A. Schaffer’s letters written to friends

Yes.

I also think that the higher highs and lower lows that are often part of the Christian experience are aspects of the abundant life that Jesus promised us. And, of course, we all experience that life differently and at different intensities.

And it’s all good, because of the reality of what Christ did for us on the Cross.

“in the midst of our down times we can know that His arms are about us, and that He does not let us go when our hands are as weak as water.”

Seeking God’s face, His character, His will, His beauty and majesty and, yes, what sometimes can only be described as the terror of His presence is something that I feel God has been calling me to do. With that in mind, I love the straightforward simplicity of this verse from Psalm 27:

You have said, “Seek my face.”

My heart says to you,

“Your face, Lord, do I seek.” – verse 8

Simple.

God says “seek my face”

And David seeks.

Have you ever noticed that God sometimes seems to hide Himself? We’ve all had those times; times when the skies seem to be made of rubber and everything’s dry and lifeless. I think that this happens sometimes because he wants us to seek His face.

Reading down a bit, we come upon the promise in verse 10. I can’t put into words, really, how this struck me. I’ve seen too many people struggling because their mom or dad (or both) has forsaken them. It’s a crime, but it’s one that is part and parcel of our fallen creation. To be outcast, left “outside the camp”, shunned and forsaken is the frequent answer to the deadly mathematics of our sinful natures and this cursed ground.

It’s no accident that God has chosen to reveal Himself as Father. It’s no accident that He represents our salvation as “adoption”.

For my father and my mother have forsaken me,

but the Lord will take me in. – verse 10

Without Jesus we’re orphans and we’re lost, regardless of how secure we look on the outside. But when we seek the Father, He will take us in.

Always.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

– Galatians 6:2 (ESV)

Did this verse jump out at me tonight or what?

“Bear one another’s burdens”. This sounds simple. But I’m sitting here trying to figure out who’s burden I’m currently bearing. I’m drawing a blank.

I spend a lot of time thinking about my burdens. I really do – the subject of my burdens has been on my mind a lot recently.

But who’s burden am I bearing? This fulfills the law of Christ. I’m not a Bible scholar, but my gut tells me that this is something important.

If I’m not sure, perhaps I better start looking.

Remember these things, O Jacob,

and Israel, for you are my servant;

I formed you; you are my servant;

O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.

I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud

and your sins like mist;

return to me, for I have redeemed you.

-Isaiah 44:21-22 (ESV)

“Remember these things . . .

Sometimes it’s good to remember. The Lord formed you, Christian, and He will not forget you. He has blotted out your sins through the atoning death of Jesus. That means all of them – even the one that you just committed and are too ashamed to think about.

Remember and return, o servant of the Lord. No matter where you are in your walk, Christian, even in a far country, He has called you His servant. He has made you to serve Him.

Return to Him, for He has redeemed you. And He will be glorified!

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

– Colossians 2:13-15

God is the winner. Always.

What an amazing passage this is! Notice the deliberateness of the text, the matter-of-fact record of the victory of God.

We were dead. God made us alive.

Alive together with Him.

He has forgiven (past tense) all our trespasses.

He has cancelled the record of debt that stood against us. The unbearable burden of our sin, subject to the exacting legal demands of justice, He bore in His own flesh.

That record of our debt? Yes, cancelled. But not just cancelled. Set aside and nailed to the cross.

And the rulers and authorities? Those unseen powers of wickedness running rampant on the earth? Disarmed! Put to open shame! God has triumphed over them!

And notice that there’s truly no room for anyone else to take the credit. There isn’t much passive voice in this passage. God did it.

I wonder if I’ve ever truly grasped the victory of God. It goes far beyond just my personal salvation – it’s the disarming of all His enemies and the triumph of His majestic redemption.

May I grasp this just a bit more and bow deeper in praise to my Lord.

My Lord, who always wins.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

– Colossians 1:15-20 (ESV)

In my life I’ve been so blessed, beyond what I ever could have imagined. And yet there are mornings like this when I feel a bit overwhelmed with the day I have before me, and when my physical body is feeling a bit puny (I’ve been sick), my spirit is feeling a bit dry, and my relationship with God is feeling a bit distant (my fault).

I’m weary from trying to hold everything together.

But I am in Christ. And in Him all things hold together! In Him the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and with us Jesus was pleased to dwell, though we rejected Him and killed Him, that He might become the bridge of reconciliation to the Father. By His blood we have peace.

Suddenly my day doesn’t seem at all overwhelming.