Monster

Give me an abhorrence of all evil,
as a vile monster that defies thy law, casts off thy yoke, defiles my nature, spreads misery.
May I discern the deadly viper in its real malignity [p100 Valley of Vision]

Lord Jesus, Great High Priest

Help me to contemplate
the dignity of thy Person
the perfectness of thy sacrifice
the effectiveness of thy intercession.


p214 The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions

Blessings abound

O what blessedness accompanies devotion, when under all the trials that weary me,
the cares that corrode me,
the fears that disturb me,
the infirmities that oppress me, I can come to thee in my need and feel peace beyond understanding!

(p214 The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions)

Another Lord's Day

We are going to the house of prayer,

pour upon us the spirit of grace and supplication;

We are going to the house of praise, 

awaken in us every grateful and cheerful emotion;

We are going to the house of instruction, 

give testimony to the Word preached,

and glorify it in the hearts of all who hear; 

may it enlighten the ignorant, awaken the careless,reclaim the wandering, establish the weak, comfort the feeble minded, make ready a people for their Lord. 

p387 The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions

Never never prayer

O LORD may I ...

never rely on my own convictions and resolutions,
but be strong in thee and in thy might;

never make piety a dress but a habit,
not only a habit but a nature
not only a nature but a life.
 
p116-117 The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions

Striding forth

O God of my Exodus, 
Great was the joy of Israel's sons, 
when Egypt died upon the shore,
Far greater the joy
when the Redeemer's foe lay crushed 
in the dust.
Jesus strides forth as the victor,
conqueror of death, hell, and all opposing might; 
He bursts the bands of death, 
tramples the powers of darkness down, 
and lives for ever. 
He, my gracious surety,
apprehended for payment of my debt, 
comes forth from the prison house of the grave
free, and triumphant over sin, Satan and death. 
Show me herein the proof that his vicarious offering is accepted,
that the claims of justice are satisfied,
that the devil's sceptre is shivered,
that his wrongful throne is levelled.
Give me the assurance that in Christ I died,
in him I rose,
in his life I live, in his victory I triumph,
in his ascension I shall be glorified.
Adorable Redeemer, 
who was lifted up upon a cross
and are ascended to highest heaven,
who as Man of Sorrows was crowned with thorns,
are now as Lord of life wreathed with glory. 
Once, no shame more deep than yours, no agony more bitter, no death more cruel. 
Now, no exaltation more high, no life more glorious, no advocate more effective.
You are in the triumph car leading captive your enemies behind you. What more could be done that you have done! 
Your death is my life, your resurrection my peace, your ascension my hope, your prayers my comfort. 
( The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions p86-87)

Picture this and let the monsters under your bed be scared!

Thanks to Stu for bringing to my attention this arresting sentence, which he says (and I agree) describes Jesus wonderfully:

a sheep-herding dragon-slayer,

the One who can put all the wild things under His feet.

I think he got it from here (an article well worth a read - especially if you have young boys!).
And it caught my eye especially today, as I had been reading a prayer in The Valley of Vision this morning:

O God of my Exodus,
Great was the joy of Israel's sons,
when Egypt died upon the shore,
Far greater the joy
when the Redeemer's foe lay crushed in the dust.
Great Jesus strides forth as the victor,
conqueror of death, hell, and all opposing might;
He bursts the bands of death,
tramples the powers of darkness down,
and lives forever.

The malady of maladies

Sin is my malady, my monster, my foe, my viper,
born in my birth,
alive in my life,
strong in my character,
dominating my faculties,
following me as a shadow,
intermingling with my every thought,
my chain that holds me captive in the empire of my soul.

Sinner that I am, why should the sun give me light,
the air supply breath,
the earth bear my tread,
its fruits nourish me,
its creatures subserve my ends?

Yet thy compassions yearn over me,
thy heart hastens to my rescue,
thy love endured my curse,
thy mercy bore my deserved stripes.

(Valley of Vision p 75)

fellowship

O God the Holy Spirit,

That which I know not, teach me,

Keep me a humble disciple in the school of Christ, learning daily there what I am in myself, a fallen sinful creature, justly deserving everlasting destruction;

O let me never lose sight of my need of a Saviour or forget that apart from him I am nothing and can do nothing.

...

Lead me from faith to faith, that I may at all times have freedom to come to a reconciled Father, and may be able to maintain peace with him against doubts, fears, corruptions, temptations.

Your office is to teach me to draw near to Christ with a pure heart, steadfastly persuaded of his love, in the full assurance of faith.

Let me never falter in this way.

(p58-59)

Praise through pain

This is a wonderful wonderful CD.
Click on the image for details or here.

Here is a taste of track one.:

When You lead me to the valley of vision
I can see You in the heights

And though my humbling wouldn't be my decision
It's here Your glory shines so bright
So let me learn that the cross precedes the crown
To be low is to be high
That the valley's where You make me more like Christ

Let me find Your grace in the valley
Let me find Your life in my death
Let me find Your joy in my sorrow
Your wealth in my need
That You're near with every breath
In the valley

In the daytime there are stars in the heavens
But they only shine at night
And the deeper that I go into darkness
The more I see their radiant light
So let me learn that my losses are my gain
To be broken is to heal
That the valley's where Your power is revealed

How often do we, do I, need reminding of this!

Valley of Vision

Lord, High and Holy, Meek and Lowly,

You have brought me to the valley of vision,
where I live in the depths but see You in the heights,
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Your 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 Your stars shine;
Let me find Your light in my darkness,
Your life in my death,
Your joy in my sorrow,
Your grace in my sin,
Your riches in my poverty,
Your glory in my valley.

(adapted from p xxiv)

Love that grows

O God, your main plan, and the goal of your will is to make Christ glorious and beloved in heaven where he is now ascended, where one day all the elect will behold his glory and love and glorify him forever.
Though here I love him but little, may this be my portion at last; in this world you have given me a start, may that one day be perfected in the realm above.

adapted from a prayer on p40 of The Valley of Vision

United with Christ or else.....

O Father,
You have made mankind for your own glory and when he is not an instrument of that glory he is nothing.
No sin is greater than that of unbelief, for if union with Chrsit is the greatest good, unbelief is the greatest sin, as being rebellion to your command.
I see that there is no sin like disunion from Christ by unbelief, whatever the sin.
Lord, keep me from committing the greatest sin in departing from him,
For I can never in this life perfectly obey and cleave to Christ.
When you take away my outward blessings , it is for sin,
in not acknowledging that all that I have is of you,
in not serving you through what I have,
in making myself secure and hardened.
Lawful blessings are the secret idols and do most hurt; the greatest injury is in the having, the greatest good in the taking away.
In love remove my blessings that I may glorify you more; remove the fuel of my sin, and may I prize the gain of a little holiness as overbalancing my losses.
The more I love you with a truly gracious love the more I desire to love you,
And the more miserable I am at my lack of love.
The more I hunger and thirst after you,
The more I faint and fail to find you.
The more my heart is broken for sin, the more I pray it may be far more broken.
My great evil is that I do not remember the sins of my youth, indeed the sins of one day I forget the next!
Keep me from all things that turn to unbelief or lack of felt union with Christ.

[slightly adapted from p36-7 in The Valley of Vision]

Full to the Brim and Overflowing

O God you have taught me that Christ has all fullness and so all plenitude of the Spirit, for his people, not for himself alone, having perfect knowledge, grace, righteousness, to make me see, to make me righteous, to give the fullness. All fullness I lack in myself is in him.

You have taught me that it is my duty, out of a sense of emptiness, to go to Christ, possess, enjoy his fullness as mine, as if I had it in myself, because it is for me in him.

You have taught me that when I do this I am full of the spirit, as a fish that has got from the shore to the sea and has all fullness of waters to move in, for when faith fills me, then I am full.

You have taught me that this is the way to be filled with the spirit, like Stephen, first faith, then fullness. For this way makes me most empty, and so most fit for the Spirit to fill.

You have taught me that the finding of this treasure of all grace in the field of Christ begets strength, joy, glory and renders all graces alive.

Help me to delight more in what I receive from Christ, more in that fullness which is in him, the fountain of all his glory.

Let me not think to receive the Spirit from him as a ‘thing’ apart from finding, drinking, being filled with him. To this end, O God, establish me in Christ, settle me, give me a being there, assure me with certainty that all this is mine, for this only will fill my heart with joy and peace.

adapted from Valley of Vision