The Valley of Vision

This is the title of a book I picked up last summer when I was in America.  It is basically a collection of deeply God-focused, Bible-saturated prayers from various Puritan authors.  For anyone looking for a help for their prayer life, this is a book to consider getting.  I had heard many good things from others, but when I actually started to pray the prayers in the book, my prayer life started to go a lot deeper!  I am planning to use this book more often to help me get started in prayer before I go to bed each night.  Here is a sample prayer, which is actually the first prayer and the title of the book.  It is called:

“The Valley of Vision.”
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.

(See other thoughts about this book at www.challies.com)