The eyes of the blind [will] be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
—Isaiah 35:5
Life hands us the exhilaration of highs and the devastation of lows.
Sometimes we hear and see God. Job’s lows were catastrophic—but his life ended on a high, hearing and seeing God (Jb 42:5).
God always hears and sees us. Hagar’s life was disastrous, seemingly abandoned by God. But no—he gave her a son, whom she named Ishmael (meaning “God hears”), and she said, “You are the God who sees me” (Gn 16:11:13).
A Puritan prayer in The Valley of Vision reads:
Lord, . . . I live in the depths but see thee in the heights . . .
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.
When the sun goes down
the stars come out.