Oct
19
2007
The Awakening Power of the Cross
One of my favorite devotional books is entitled The Valley of Vision. It is a collection of Puritan prayers that were put together and edited by the late Arthur Bennett. I first discovered this literary treasure while I was in college browsing through a seminary bookstore. At the time I was experiencing a spiritual drought in my life. I was desperately longing for a spark that would set my heart on fire for God once again. That spark came surprisingly from these rich words found at the beginning of this book that I had never heard of before:
Lord, High and Holy, Meek and Lowly,
You have brought me to the valley of vision,
where I live in the depths but see you in the heights.
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.
Let me find your light in my darkness,
your life in my death,
your joy in my sorrow,
your grace in my sin,
your riches in my poverty,
your glory in my valley.
And with those words, “I woke and the dungeon flamed with light.” At the time, I didn’t know what it was about those words that moved me so deeply; I just knew that God used them to set my heart ablaze once again.
Reflecting some 9-10 years later now, I have come to realize that the reason those words so passionately moved me toward God is because those words so passionately moved me toward the cross. It was Jesus who came from the heights of heaven to the depths of earth. It was Jesus who came low in order to bring me high. It was Jesus who became nothing so that I could possess all. It was Jesus who bore the cross so that one day I could wear the crown. It was Jesus who gave so that I could receive: his darkness gave me light, his death gave me life, his sorrow gave me joy, his poverty gave me riches, his valley gave me glory.
Let that hit you deeply! Let it move you the way it still moves me! Without Christ there is no hope. But with him, hope is both certain and never ending. To be without Christ is to be without life. To be with Christ is to have life eternal. Indeed, he is our life and our salvation.