Content at Home

One of my favorite books to read along with my Word time in the morning is the book The Valley of Vision. It is a compilation of Puritan prayers and devotions and well worth the read! Each section is short yet they really provoke meditation and thoughtfulness. There is a simplicity about these prayers and a trust in God that is so evident! Here is one of my favorite prayers:

Spiritual Growth

“O Thou Most High,

In the way of Thy appointment I am waiting for Thee,
My desire is to Thy name,
My mind to remembrance of Thee.
I am a sinner, but not insensible of my state.
My iniquities are great and numberless,
But Thou art adequate to my relief,
For Thou art rich in mercy;
The blood of Thy Son can cleanse from all sin;
The agency of Thy Spirit can subdue my most powerful lusts.
Give me a tender, wakeful conscience
That can smite and torment me when I sin.
May I be consistent in conversation and conduct,
The same alone as in company,
In prosperity and adversity,
Accepting all Thy commandments as right,
and hating every false way.
May I never be satisfied with my present spiritual progress,
But to faith add virtue, knowledge, temperance,
Godliness, brotherly kindness, charity.
May I never neglect what is necessary to
constitute Christian character,
and needful to complete it.
May I cultivate the expedient,
Develop the lovely, adorn the gospel,
Recommend the religion of Jesus,
Accommodate myself to They providence.
Keep me from sinking or sinning in the evil day;
Help me to carry into ordinary life portions of divine truth
And use them on suitable occasions, so that
Its doctrines my inform,
Its warnings caution,
Its rules guide,
Its promises comfort me.”