How ‘The Valley of Vision’ Can Empower Your Prayer Life
“The Valley of Vision” is a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions compiled by Arthur Bennett. It is rich with prayers full of pleas, confessions, and worship. Through them the Puritan authors express their desires, struggles, and complete dependence on God. Their prayers are reminders of the God’s grace and sovereignty.
In this blog post, we’ll take a quick look at the themes found in the prayers and the reasons you should be reading this book.
Themes in “The Valley of Vision”:
- Dependence on God: The prayers in this book speak to complete dependence on God’s grace and mercy. The writers acknowledge human sinfulness while reminding us of God’s unending love and faithfulness. Without God we would be hopeless.
- Repentance and Renewal: Many of the prayers in this collection focus on repentance, forgiveness, and being renewed. The prayers remind us that repentance is the only pathway to restoring our relationship with God.
- Adoration and Worship: These prayers overflow with adoration and worship even as the authors face trials. The heartfelt words of these prayers encourage the readers to join in praise, declaring the glory of God, no matter their circumstances.
- Petition and Intercession: “The Valley of Vision” is full of prayers of petition and intercession. The authors seek help for themselves and others at the feet of our Lord. These prayers serve as a reminder of the importance of bringing all our concerns before God in prayer.
- Surrender and Trust: A recurring theme throughout most of the prayers is God’s sovereignty. They call us to surrender everything to God and trust in His plan. Even during life’s uncertainties, we must surrender our will and trust in God’s sovereign will.
Now that we have looked at the theologically rich themes in this small book let’s see why it is important to us as women today.
Why you should be reading “The Valley of Vision”:
1. Rich Theology: The prayers in this book are built on the truths found in Scripture. Reading through them will help you deepen your understanding of who God is and who you are.
2. Personal Connection: In these prayers the authors express struggles, joys, and desires that are still common to us today. Through these prayers, you can find solace, knowing that you are not alone in the joys and struggles of the ups and downs on your sanctification journey.
3. Deepen Your Prayer Life: The book provides a variety of prayers that cover a wide range of topics, including worship, penitence, redemption, devotions, and ministry. By studying these prayers and learning how the authors incorporate the themes we talked about above you can deepen your prayer life.
4. Convict and Motivate: As you read the fervent prayers in “The Valley of Vision,” you may be convicted to embrace your role and the calling God’s has for you. These prayers may motivate you to live out your faith with boldness.
In summary, Christian women should read “The Valley of Vision” because it offers rich theology, personal connection with the authors, a deepening in one’s prayer life, and it convicts and motivates one to embrace God’s will for her life. The prayers in “The Valley of Vision” challenge us to strengthen our relationship with God through prayer. Whether you are a new believer or you have been walking with the Lord for most of your life, this book will convict and inspire you.
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Check out this post on prayer next.
