Valley of Vision prayer

In my devotions today, I read a Valley of Vision prayer titled "A Minister's Bible."  But it's certainly not just for ministers.  This is my prayer, and my hope is that this would be your prayer too.

O God of truth,

I thank Thee for the holy Scriptures,

their precepts, promises, directions, light.

In them may I learn more of Christ,

be enabled to retain His truth

and have grace to follow it.

Help me to lift up the gates of my soul

that He may come in

and show me Himself when I search

the Scriptures,

for I have no lines to fathom its depths,

no wings to soar to its heights.

By His aid may I be enabled to explore

all its truths,

love them with all my heart,

embrace them with all my power,

engraft them into my life.

Bless to my soul all grains of truth garnered

from Thy Word;

may they take deep root,

be refreshed by heavenly dew,

be ripened by heavenly rays,

be harvested to my joy and Thy praise.

Help me to gain profit by what I read,

as a treasure beyond all treasure,

a fountain which can replenish my dry heart,

its waters flowing through me as a perennial river

on-drawn by Thy Holy Spirit.

Enable me to distill from its pages faithful prayer

that grasps the arm of Thy omnipotence,

achieves wonders, obtains blessings,

and draws down streams of mercy.

From it show me how my words have often been

unfaithful to Thee,

injurious to my fellow-men,

empty of grace, full of folly,

dishonoring to my calling.

Then write Thy own words upon my heart

and inscribe them on my lips;

So shall all glory be to Thee

in my reading of Thy Word!

Prepared For Joy

I was reading in "The Valley of Vision" last night and came across this incredible line: "Thou art preparing joy for me and me for joy."

What a thought!  At this very moment, Christ is in heaven preparing joy for me.  "In my Father's house are many rooms.  If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?" (John 14:2)  And what characterizes this place He prepares?  "In Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Psalm 16:11)  Jesus is preparing joy for me.

And He is also preparing me for joy.  His Spirit is working to keep me from falling away, and the end result of that persevering power is joy.  "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever.  Amen." (Jude 24-25)  He is empowering my servanthood, and the end result of that empowered love is joy.  "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant.  You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.  Enter into the joy of your master.'" (Matthew 25:21)  He is sustaining me through sovereignly ordained sorrow, which is designed to enlarge my joy.  "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith... may be found to result in  praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:6-9)  All these verses point towards the glory of God as the highest goal, but the glory of God seems to be inexorably linked to my joy.  So in every moment of every day, God is glorifying Himself as He prepares me for joy.  Good news!

The Throne

"The Valley of Vision" is a collection of Puritan prayers that I've been reading daily for the last couple months, and it is, simply put, incredible.  These people knew their Bible, knew their hearts, knew their God so much better than we do.  It's really humbling; I want to pray like this.  So today I want to share one of the prayers I read this morning, entitled, "The Throne."

O God of my delight,

Thy throne of grace

is the pleasure ground of my soul.

Here I obtain mercy in time of need,

here see the smile of thy reconciled face,

 here joy pleads the name of Jesus,

here I sharpen the sword of the Spirit

anoint the shield of faith,

put on the helmet of salvation

gather manna from thy Word,

  am strengthened for each conflict,

  nerved for the upward race,

  empowered to conquer every foe;

Help me to come to Christ

as the fountain head of descending blessings,

as a wide open flood-gate of mercy.

I marvel at my insensate folly, that

with such enriching favours within my reach

I am slow to extend the hand to take them.

Have mercy upon my deadness for thy Name's sake.

Quicken me, stir me, fill me with holy zeal.

Strengthen me that I may cling to thee

and not let thee go.

May thy Spirit within me draw all blessings

from thy hand.

When I advance not, I backslide.

Let me walk humbly because of good omitted

and evil done.

Impress on my mind the shortness of time,

the work to be engaged in,

the account to be rendered,

the nearness of eternity,

the fearful sin of despising thy Spirit.

May I never forget that

thy eye always sees

thy ear always hears,

thy recording hand always writes.

May I never give thee rest until Christ is

the pulse of my heart,

the spokesman of my lips,

the lamp of my feet.