Why Does Our Church Use The Valley of Vision?

As a church, we recently started using The Valley of Vision in our worship services during our time of congregational prayer. The Valley of Vision is a collection of prayers and devotions compiled from various Puritan writings. We certainly are not the only church who uses this book as a supplemental, referential text. Since its publication, many pastors, worship leaders, and other Christians have found these prayerful, devotional writings to be a source and guide in times of both corporate and personal worship.

With the, at best, complicated past of the Puritans, you may wonder why The Valley of Vision has been such a popular work in Christian circles. If you have not read through some of these prayers on your own, I would encourage you to do so. Simply picking up a copy, thumbing through it, and landing on a random page may provide an answer as to why so many believers have this work on their bookshelves. These prayers are written with such rich, theologically sound, biblically based, colorful language that echoes the prose of the Psalms (there is no replacing the Psalms, of course).

Reading through the various writings in The Valley of Vision, I find is like listening to an eloquent preacher or to a wise, mature brother in Christ lifting a prayer to God. I have often been encouraged and sharpened by people like this in my life. When I hear someone like this speak or pray, my attention is directed towards God but is simultaneously pointed to a conviction to grow in my own ability and understanding of the Word, that I too may speak or pray with the same vigor and vitality.

I find it interesting that our culture today so often points to extremes (politically, socially, physically, etc.) yet our vernacular rarely has the ability to service such extremities beyond hyperbole, slang, or superlative language. This is where The Valley of Vision truly shines in our modern age. When it comes to where we should truly find extremes in our lives – the wretchedness of sin and the holiness of our God – these Puritan writers beautifully crafted poetry filled with tactful metaphors and vivid language.

If you do not already own a copy, I would encourage you to find one. It is a great companion to (but not a replacement of) time in the Word and in prayer. Consider the titular, opening prayer to the book:

The Valley of Vision

LORD, HIGH AND HOLY, MEEK AND LOWLY,
Thou has 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 the 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.