Puritan Prayers

The Valley of Vision

Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory. 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. Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine; 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.

A Puritan Prayer (Worship)

Glorious God,

It is the flame of my life to worship thee,
the crown and glory of my soul to adore thee,
heavenly pleasure to approach thee.

Give me power by the Spirit to help me
worship now,
that I may forget the world,
be brought into the fullness of life,
be refreshed, comforted, blessed.

Give me knowledge of thy goodness
that I might not be over-awed by they greatness;
Give me Jesus, Son of Man, Son of God,
that I might not be terrified,
but drawn near with filial love,
with holy boldness;

He is my Mediator, Brother, Interpreter,
Branch, Daysman, Lamb;
him I glorify,
in him I am set on high.

Crowns to give I have none,
but what thou hast given I return,
content to feel that everything is mine
when it is thine,
and the more fully mine when I have yielded it
to thee.

Let me live wholly to my Saviour,
free from distractions,
from carking care,
from hindrances to the pursuit
of the narrow way.

I am pardoned through the blood of Jesus-
give me a new sense of it,
continue to pardon me by it,
may I come every day to the fountain,
and every day to be washed anew,
that I may worship thee always
in spirit and truth.

"Now large crowds were accompanying Jesus, and turning to them he said, 'If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.'"

The more I think about the meaning of this passage, the more I come to grips with the fact that discipleship is an unsafe practice. Jesus comes forth to say, to the gathering of those following Him, that there are conditions that have to be met in order to be a true disciple. These conditions are outside of personal devotion and within a realm of sincerity. Jesus tells us that if we are to be His, we must cripple our relationships, our desires, and even the sum of ourselves in order to fully embrace Him - there can be no life outside of this. Let those within the numbers of the Church take to heart the admonition, may it sink deeply into our ears and transform us and our perspectives.
Discipleship, and sincerity before God will cost us our prosperity, our social status, our goals, and our dreams and any hope of gain in this world; but to those who see this as a condition for the crown of life, there will be no regret. To those who remember that these words are spirit and life, there is no room to draw back, for they realize that risking everything upon the premise of hope is a small act in comparison to what is in store for those who love God. Eternity awaits those who hear and keep to His words.

"Blessed is that slave whom his master finds at work when he returns."