I have recently been reading The Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan Prayers, edited by Arthur Bennett. Whatever you think of the puritans you cannot fault their sincerity and personal devotion. I have been challenged in my own prayer life as I have read these. To see what I mean here is a sample from a prayer entitled Kept by God."Jehovah God,
Thou creator, upholder, proprietor of all things,
I cannot escape from thy presence or control,
nor do I desire to do so.
My privilege is to be under the agency of omnipotence,
righteousness, wisdom, patience, mercy, grace.
thou art love with more than parental affection;
I admire thy heart, adore thy wisdom,
stand in awe of thy power, abase myself before thy purity.
It is the discovery of thy goodness alone that can
banish my fear,
allure me into they presence,
help me to bewail and confess my sins."
