Puritans have been unfairly maligned in our day. Allow me to illustrate to prove the point. Puritans are often dismissed as killjoys; prudes who hated sex. We need to set the record straight. While they took issue with the dangers inherent in unmarried sex, their view of marital love was overwhelmingly positive. The Puritan preacher William Gauge wrote that married couples should engage in sex “with good will and delight, willingly, readily and cheerfully.” So much for dour Puritans! I mention this by way of introduction to a book of Puritan prayers compiled by a Church of England pastor, Arthur Bennett (1915-1994). His collection of Puritan prayers not only addresses life in God’s kingdom yet to come, but also concerns practical matters like marriage and family, manual labor and Sabbath keeping. Bennett’s book, The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotionals, are a compilation of prayers by leading Puritans in the 17th-19th centuries. Their strength of character emerged from their vital prayer life. The phrase “Valley of Vision” takes as its lead from a vision of a valley in Isaiah 22.1. The valley reminds Arthur that, even though we are small and weighed down by life’s troubles, there is hope, grace and mercy when we pray. There can be joy even in the valley. Bennett includes in the preface one of his own prayers inspired by the spiritual heritage of our Puritan forebears:
Arthur Bennett
Lord, high and holy, meek, and lowly,Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,
where I live in the depths but see you 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.
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.