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The Resource of the MonthHello Grace Family! It's time for our next Resource of the Month. It's a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions called The Valley of Vision. |
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The Valley of VisionWhen you pray, do you ever feel unsure of what to say, or how to say it? Do you ever feel lost for words? Do you ever need some help jump-starting the engine? Or perhaps, do you sense that your prayers could be deeper, more tethered to Scripture, or covering a wider range of topics? This resource can help! The Valley of Vision is a classic collection of prayers and devotions from the Puritans. The Puritans?!?! Yes, the Puritans. I know, I know. If your schooling experience was anything like mine, then the Puritans probably got a bad rap in your high school English and history classes. Who can forget the devilish Reverend Dimmesdale in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter? We were told the Puritans were harsh, judgmental, prudish, hypocritical, legalistic, backward. They were given as a an example of the dangers of religious extremism. I left high school thinking the Puritans were anything but pure. There was just one problem. I had never actually read any Puritans! It turns out that what we learned in school was nothing more than a bad caricature. In reality, most Puritans were simply Bible-believing, Jesus-loving Christians who did their best to worship and serve him in their own cultural setting. In fact, from a historical point of view, they were the predecessors to the broader Evangelical movement, which began with the First Great Awakening in the 1700s. If we were alive back then, and had the same theological convictions that we have now, then we probably would have been members of Puritan churches! With that bit of context, when you open the Valley of Vision, you won't find the words of harsh, legalistic, nominal Christians; you will find the Scripture-saturated, heartfelt prayers of mature believers who lived to worship and serve King Jesus. Consider this prayer, called "The Infinite and the Finite." Thou Great I Am, Fill my mind with elevation and grandeur at the thought of a Being with whom one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day, a mighty God, who, amidst the lapse of worlds, and the revolutions of empires, feels no variableness, but is glorious in immortality. May I rejoice that, while men die, the Lord lives; that, while all creatures are broken reeds, empty cisterns, fading flowers, withering grass, he is the Rock of Ages, the Fountain of living waters. Turn my heart from vanity, from dissatisfactions, from uncertainties of the present state, to an eternal interest in Christ. Let me remember that life is short and unforeseen, and is only an opportunity for usefulness; Give me a holy avarice to redeem the time, to awake at every call to charity and piety, so that I may feed the hungry, clothe the naked, instruct the ignorant, reclaim the vicious, forgive the offender, diffuse the gospel, show neighbourly love to all. Let me live a life of self-distrust, dependence on thyself, mortification, crucifixion, prayer. Amen! See what I mean? Editor Arthur Bennet has compiled prayers and devotions like this one from several notable Puritans, including Thomas Shepard, Thomas Watson, Richard Baxter, John Bunyan, Isaac Watts, David Brainerd, Augustus Toplady, and Charles Spurgeon. (Technically speaking, Charles Spurgeon lived after the time of the Purtians, but he so embodied their theology and devotion to Christ, that he is often considered the "last Puritan.") At the end of the day, I believe The Valley of Vision can help you deepen your prayer life for one simple reason: it has helped me deepen mine. I hope you will check out the copy in the foyer at Grace, order a copy for yourself, dive into this treasure trove of prayers and devotions, and that they will help you deepen your relationship with the Lord. |
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Feedback & MoreI would love to hear from you! What Christian resources are helping you follow Jesus right now? Email me: tom@gracestamford.org |
