Valley of Vision: Peril

The Banner of Truth Trust ^ | 1975 | Arthur Bennett

[Gamecock]

Sovereign Commander of the universe,

I am sadly harassed by doubts, fears, unbelief,

in a felt spiritual darkness.

My heart is full of evil surmisings and disquietude,

and I cannot act faith at all.

My heavenly Pilot has disappeared,

and I have lost my hold on the Rock of Ages;

I sink in deep mire beneath storms and waves,

in horror and distress unutterable.

Help me, O Lord,

to throw myself absolutely and wholly on thee,

for better, for worse, without comfort,

and all but hopeless.

Give me peace of soul, confidence, enlargement

of mind,

morning joy that comes after night heaviness;

Water my soul richly with divine blessings;

Grant that I may welcome thy humbling in private

so that I might enjoy thee in public;

Give me a mountain top as high as the valley is low.

Thy grace can melt the worst sinner, and I am

as vile as he;

Yet thou hast made me a monument of mercy,

a trophy of redeeming power;

In my distress let me not forget this.

All-wise God,

Thy never-failing providence orders every event,

sweetens every fear,

reveals evil’s presence lurking in seeming good,

brings real good out of seeming evil,

makes unsatisfactory what I set my heart upon,

to show me what a short-sighted creature I am,

and to teach me to live by faith upon

thy blessed self.

Out of my sorrow and night

give me the name Naphtali –

‘satisfied with favour’ –

help me to love thee as thy child,

and to walk worthy of my heavenly pedigree.

[Gamecock]

This prayer is taken from a collection of Puritan works titled "The Valley of Vision." First published in 1975 by Arthur Bennett, the book has been used by many Christians for prayer, as a devotional, or just plain reflection.

I plan to post one each day and hope that each of you will benefit from a brief glimpse into the mind of the Puritans. If you would like on or off of this ping list please let me know.

Please, no flaming, cussin' or wagering.

[Gamecock]

VoV Ping

[Reborn]

Thank you for posting these daily blessings. There are many Christians who, upon reading the above prayer, would say that poor soul was unsaved. Too bad that many folks forget that Job wasn't the only one to go through the furnace of affliction. Love, joy and peace are beautiful fruit of the Spirit, but LONGSUFFERING is also one among them. :-)