Prayer

Today started off with me allowing Oliver to watch too much tv as I ignored the dishes in the sink (I am really good at ignoring dishes in a sink),but did manage to gather things up to take to goodwill, vacuumed and got some laundry going. However, the day ended so great. After nap, Oliver and I made a quick trip to the grocery store, ate breakfast for dinner (which involved yogurt and some really good granola), played with CARS not trains, worked out with tv's toughest trainer while dodging zooming cars and a 2 1/2 year old little boy (who thinks mommy doing jumping jacks is hysterical), played a very serious game of golf outside to cool down from all the jumping jacks, bathed and then opened up this book called, The Valley of Vision.

I had seen this book on my parent's bookshelf for years and the last year, I believe, Eric and I purchased for ourselves. It has looked great on our bookshelf, makes us look really spiritual, maybe even mature in our faith,(I guess it depends on who's looking at the bookshelf). Anyway, tonight I opened it up. There are parts of the preface that I think are quote worthy! The book is a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions and given that prayer is something I have been thinking a lot about the past couple months or longer I decided to open up these puritan prayers. I could talk at length about my journey with and in prayer but the journey starts back in 5th grade so I'll have to save that for another time. Suffice it to say, I know that God has used my prayer life to shape me.

The prayer I read and prayed through tonight is titled Openness.

Lord of Immortality,
Before whom angels bow and archangels veil their faces,
enable me to serve thee with reverence and godly fear. (already I am convicted of coming to God with a laziness of spirit)

Thou who art Spirit and requirest truth in the inward parts,
help me to worship thee in spirit and in truth.
Thou who art righteous,
let me not harbor sin in my heart,
or indulge a worldly temper,
or seek satisfaction in things that perish.
(harbor sin in my heart! O, the ugly sin I keep around because I don't want to cut off my right arm to keep from sinning. I would rather walk around maimed by sin but "whole" in the eyes if the world)

I hasten towards an hour
when earthly pursuits and possessions will appear vain
when it will be indifferent whether I have been rich or poor,
successful or disappointed
admired or despised.
But it will be an eternal moment that I have
mourned for sin, (MOURNED)
hungered and thirsted after righteousness,
loved the Lord Jesus in sincerity,
gloried in the cross.
May these objects engross my chief solicitude!

I don't have anymore to say beyond this prayer, except the prayer at the beginning of the book.

Lord, High and Holy, Meek and Lowly,
Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,
Where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights;
Hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy 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 thy stars shine;
Let me find thy light in my darkness,
Thy life in my death,
Thy joy in my sorrow,
Thy grace in my sin,
Thy riches in my poverty,
Thy glory in my valley.






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