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.”
The Deeps
Lord Jesus, give me a deeper repentance, a horror of sin, a dread of its approach.
Help me chastely to flee it
and jealously to resolve that my heart shall be Yours alone.
Give me a deeper trust,
that I may lose myself to find myself in You,
the ground of my rest, the spring of my being.
Give me a deeper knowledge of Yourself
as Savior, Master, Lord and King.
Give me a deeper power in private prayer,
more sweetness in your Word,
more steadfast grip on its truth.
Give me deeper holiness in speech, thought, action,
and let me not seek moral virtue apart from You.
Plough deep in me, great Lord,
heavenly husbandman,
that my being may be a tilled field,
the roots of grace spreading far and wide,
until You alone are seen in me,
Your beauty golden like summer harvest,
Your fruitfulness as autumn plenty.
I have no master but You,
no law but Your will,
no delight but Yourself,
no wealth but that You give,
no good that You bless,
no peace but that You bestow.
I am nothing but that You make me.
I have nothing but that I receive from You.
I can be nothing, but that grace adorns me.
Quarry me deep, dear Lord,
and then fill me to overflowing with living water.
Rev. Dr. Peter James served 42 years as the senior of Vienna Presbyterian Church in Vienna, VA — 21 years in the 20th century and 21 years in the 21st century. He retired in 2021 and now serves as Pastor-in-Residence at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Even as a pastor, prayer came slowly to Pete. Read Pete’s story.