Book of the Week

A number of years ago while attending seminary I came across a book of prayers from the Puritans. It is entitled The Valley of Vision. What makes this book such an immense treasure is that although the prayers are hundreds of years old they still resonate with our souls today. The reason is simply - the are based soundly upon theological teaching from God’s Word. These prayers do what most churches avoid today - (1) They put forth a high view on the sovereignty of God. God is presented as gracious, just, and holy and therefore rightfully worthy of worship alone. (2) They point out the lowliness of man due to his sinful condition. These prayers are not your typical ‘feel good’ prayers promoting how good man (which is unfortunately a sad reality of most churches today) but rather just the opposite. They present our sinful wicked nature who really wants nothing to do with God and has thus rebelled against him. (3) They place a high view upon God’s Word as the only source able to comfort us and give us lasting hope and peace. (4) Theses prayers presuppose Christ’s atoning work on the cross as man’s only hope to be reconciled to God. (5) Mostly they remind me just how faithless and sinful I am and thus how much I need a holy God. These prayers simply gird my mind to think biblically about my condition before God and the lasting comfort that He alone can give while ‘in the valley.’