The American church is reaching a crossroad. Western culture is becoming increasingly secular, militantly so in some sectors. Will the church go with the secular flow and dump some of its theological cargo, enabling it to ride higher in the water? Will churches conduct their mission with less biblical rigor and more cultural accommodation? William Inge said a century ago, “If you marry the spirit of the age, you will become a widow in the next.” I’m convinced the remedy lies in the opposite direction. We must go deeper in Scripture and prayer in this present cultural moment and resist the temptation to acquiesce to fickle cultural trends. We may lose ground with casual attenders, but we will gain traction with sincere disciples who want to go deep with Jesus. The American church may need to become smaller, leaner and more focused to accomplish Christ’s mission in the twenty first century.
Our Puritan forebears have left us a rich spiritual legacy. These cultural nonconformists went deep into God’s Word and prevailed in prayer. The Valley of Vision is a compendium of Puritan prayers to help us in this quest. One such prayer, “The Deeps,” follows here. “Give me a deeper repentance…a deeper trust…a deeper knowledge of Jesus…a deeper power in prayer…a deeper holiness in speech, thought and action.” Note how the prayer concludes, “Quarry me deep, dear Lord, and then fill me to overflowing with living water.”