Valley Vision – “The Path of Paradox” 

The valley is a place of paradox for the follower of Jesus. There we realize that “the way down is the way up,” and that the valleys – the low and hard places in our lives – are where we most often feel the presence of God and his love most strongly. To do so, we must “fix our gaze on the things we cannot see.”

1.  A Renewable Resource (2 Corinthians 4:16)

• Paul reminds us that our hope as followers of Jesus is not based in what we can see and sense in the “here and now” – because the here and now is dying, like our mortal bodies. The decaying effects of sin surround us, both in our bodies and in the world around us – yet we aren’t to give up hope.
• The solution to the decay, and the source of our hope, is “renewal,” as Paul puts it. He’s not talking about the so-called “prosperity gospel” – i.e., the idea that if we have enough faith we can avoid the valleys – nor is he saying that we should just grit our teeth and endure them. Instead, Paul wants us to see that our hope is found in the “renewable resource” of a spirit that is fully aligned with Christ.
• This renewal of our spirit comes through a daily walk with Jesus. It’s not a “set it and forget it” deal, because God desires that we rely on him for a daily renewal of our spirit – a renewal that is available even in the deepest, darkest valleys of our life.

2. You Can Find in Every Valley (2 Corinthians 4:18; Psalms 27:1-4^NIV) some text
   • Paul gives us the key to our spiritual renewal in the valleys: he reminds us that in every valley there is an invisible work of God underway. God is always there, and he is always at work. Our daily renewal comes when we “fix our gaze” on that work – and not on our temporary troubles.
   • King David originates this idea in Psalm 27. In the deepest valleys, where he is being “besieged” by his enemies, he can have confidence and not be afraid if he can do one thing: “dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” That doesn’t mean he wants to sleep in God’s house; it means he wants – needs – to be in the presence of God and experience his love daily.
   • Our relationship with God was never meant to be distant and occasional (like our relationship with our “Facebook friends”). It was meant to be intimate, a relationship we renew daily by “gazing on the beauty of the LORD.” In the valleys, that might come by “gazing” at God’s character, and at what he has promised for the future; or, it might come by looking backward at what he has already done in our lives – “renewing our spirit” by remembering how he has loved us and saved us in the past.
   • Of course, our daily renewal in the presence of God isn’t just a passive activity of reflection and remembering; the “gazing at his beauty” goes hand in hand, David tells us, with “seeking him in his temple.” One of the best ways to do that is through his Scriptures – learning and discovering his wisdom and counsel through the study of his Word; a lifetime “journey of discovery” that draws us closer and closer to him as we understand more and more about his loving character.

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE

These passages may provide additional insights related to the subject of this week’s message. All verses are NLT unless otherwise noted.

Psalms 51:10-12; Isaiah 40:28-31; Lamentations 3:18-26; John 8:12; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 2:6-7

Video of the Week: Character of God: Loyal Love by the Bible Project

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

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1. The “Paradox of the Valley” is that life’s lowest times can often be when we experience the loving presence of God most profoundly. How have you experienced that in your life?  

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2. Paul points out in 2 Corinthians 4:16 that “our bodies are dying” – in other words, the decaying effects of sin are all around us and in us. Why is this understanding important for us to grasp? 

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3. The so-called “prosperity gospel” teaches that if we have enough faith we can avoid the valleys of life and be prosperous, healthy and happy. What’s wrong with that teaching?

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4. How is Paul’s teaching in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 different from the premise of the “prosperity gospel”?  

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5. It’s very, very easy for us to become so consumed by our circumstances and the difficulties of life’s “valleys” that we can’t see or think about anything else. How can we avoid “gazing” at our troubles instead of “gazing” at God and his work? 

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6. For you, what would it look like (practically) if you were able to live out Psalm 27:4 every day – “to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek him in his temple”?  What routine or discipline would you need to follow to allow that “gazing and seeking” to happen?

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