So I realized last week that though I finished The Valley of Vision a couple months ago I never actually wrote a review of it! So here we go!
Synopsis from Goodreads: The strength of Puritan character and life lay in prayer and meditation. In this practice the spirit of prayer was regarded as of first importance and the best form of prayer, for living prayer is the characteristic of genuine spirituality. Yet prayer is also vocal and may therefore on occasions be written. Consequently in the Puritan tradition there are many written prayers and meditations which constitute an important corpus of inspiring devotional literature. Too often ex tempore prayer lacks variety, order and definiteness. The reason for this lies partly in a neglect of due preparation. It is here that the care and scriptural thoroughness which others found necessary in their approach to God may be of help. This book has been prepared not to 'supply' prayers but to prompt and encourage the Christian as he treads the path on which others have gone before.
The Valley of Vision is a beautiful collection of Puritan prayers. Now Puritans get an unfairly ascribed bad rap nowadays so please don't let that turn you off! This book is one of the greatest books I've ever read. It held beautifully true to scripture and sacrilegious as this sounds sometimes when I read it I felt like I was reading scripture!
There were so many good quotes (aka prayers) so I can't include them all here but I'll include some of my very favorites.
"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."
"Let thy unexampled love constrain me into holy obedience, and render my duty my delight.
If others deem my faith folly, my meekness infirmity, my zeal madness, my hope delusion, my actions hypocrisy, may I rejoice to suffer for thy name."
"I am guilty, but pardoned,
lost, but saved,
wandering, but found,
sinning but cleansed."
"How little have I illustrated my principles and improved my privileges!
How seldom I served my generation!
How often have I injured and not recommended my Redeemer."
“Work in me more profound and abiding repentance;
Give me the fullness of godly grief, that trembles and fears, yet ever trust and loves, which is ever powerful, and ever confident;
Grant through the tears of repentance I may see more clearly the brightness and glories of the saving cross.”
“Oh God, it is amazing that men can talk so much about man's creaturely power and goodness, when, if thou didst not hold us back every moment, we should be devils incarnate.”
“I fall short of thy glory every day by spending hours unprofitably, by thinking that the things I do are good, when they are not done to thy end, nor spring from the rules of thy Word.
So many great quotes and not enough space! You should read this! I would say few books have really changed my life... the Bible being the main one.... but this one would definitely be on that list.
I can't recommend it more highly.
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