The Valley of Vision is a collection of old prayers that exemplify intentionality, passion, and a Bible-focus in prayer. The language can seem foreign to modern readers since it resembles a loftier tongue of days gone by. And yet, the content of these prayers is of such high quality that modern Christians will no doubt benefit from such examples.
Here is how I prayed, in my own words, the prayer entitled “True Religion.”
Oh Lord, God Almighty,
Please ensure that my blessings from You are spiritual and not merely earthly and temporal.
Make it my present, highest, and constant concern to obtain those blessings which are spiritual in nature, eternal, and truly satisfying.
God, Please preserve me from false views of my own character, and help me to see myself truly and honestly.
Make me to understand and guard my beliefs as well as my actions, my motives as well as my words and deeds.
Help me, God, to never mistake my emotional highs for the renewal of the Holy Spirit, to never judge my spiritual health by way of impulses or feelings, but instead by constant and prevailing patterns in my thoughts and actions.
May my heart be right with You, and may my life be lived so as to bring You glory and so as to demonstrate my gratitude for Your grace.
May I keep my eternal home in view and grow increasingly more joyful at the thoughts of Your heavenly promise, and may I feel and confess myself to be a stranger and a pilgrim in this world that is not my home.
Lord, please grant me all the direction, defense, support, and consolation my journey here requires; and keep my mind constantly fixed upon You.
Above all, please fill me abundantly with the Spirit of Christ, that I may be prepared for every duty, love You in all Your mercies, submit to You in every trial, trust You when walking in darkness, and have peace in You amid life’s many changes.
Oh God, my Redeemer, my Shelter, and my Friend, I believe and trust You, and yet I also ask that You would mercifully help my unbelief.
Holding the Line 