Every Valley
“Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain” (Isaiah 40:4)
The prophet Isaiah wrote this verse at least 700 years before Christ’s birth, but it can be applied to our hearts today as we anticipate Jesus’s coming during this season of Advent in 2020.
The word Advent means arrival, coming. What better way to prepare for Christmas than to contemplate the valleys, the high places, the crooked parts, and rough parts of our own hearts.
If you are down in spirit, depressed, or sad, ask God to lift up those areas for you. Depend on Him to bring you up and out. Allow this season to be hopeful and full of peace and joy.
If you are forging ahead, relying on and depending on yourself for your means, consider humbling yourself, coming down from a high place of pride and self-sufficiency, and ask God to help you depend on Him for your sustenance and welfare. It is amazing how one can enjoy life with less, when you allow more time to spend with Him, family, and those you love.
If your way is mixed with habits that hurt your straight path of following Christ, allow God to cut off those twists and turns that get you in trouble. Each crooked way can get you off the goal and prize of your faith. There is fullness of life here and eternal life after to be enjoyed and anticipated. Allow God to keep your path straight.
If your character has a lot of rough edges, for example, impatience, intolerance, a critical spirit or a biting tongue, ask the Lord to make those places as smooth as the plains. It is amazing how quickly a character flaw can be changed, when God is the one changing us.
And if you would like further inspiration on verse 4 in Isaiah 40, listen to George Frideric Handel’s “Every Valley Shall Be Exalted” from his Oratorio. Tenors have been enjoying singing this for 279 years! To capture more meaning from this listening, consider the word-painting of the text. When the tenor sings the word “crooked,” Handel varies between two notes going back and forth; when the text says “straight,” there is one, long note written. The word “plain” is also one, very long note. See what word-painting you find in the notes of the text “exalted” (the music goes up sharply) and “valley!”
Classic Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCLUhVkCoPE
Rev. Susan McKeithen, Executive Assistant and Spanish Ministry Pastor
Published: 11/30/2020
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