Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
6th out of 122 books
—
28 voters
The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions
A selection of prayers and meditations in the Puritan tradition, widely valued since publication in 1975. (See also P.2)
Paperback, 221 pages
Published
November 1st 1975
by Banner of Truth
(first published 1975)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
Quite possibly the best book I've read all year. These prayers are amazing. In Mudhouse Sabbath, Lauren Winner talks about the benefit of a formal prayer book. She notes that her free-form prayers often devolve into narcissism (this has definitely been my experience), but that the formal, written prayers refocus her on God. This book is a great example of the benefit of written prayers. My own free-form prayers often send me down a rabbit hole of my own personal worries and burdens--worries and...more
3 likes · like · see review
view 1 comment
I really liked this book because of the depth of so many prayers that moved me.
I only wish I knew specifically who wrote them; general references are at the end of the book
Below is a good review, copied from another source.
The strength of Puritan character and life lay in prayer and editation. In this practice the spirit of prayer was regarded as of first importance and the best form of prayer, for living prayer is the characteristic of genuine spirituality. Yet prayer is also vocal and may ther...more
I only wish I knew specifically who wrote them; general references are at the end of the book
Below is a good review, copied from another source.
The strength of Puritan character and life lay in prayer and editation. In this practice the spirit of prayer was regarded as of first importance and the best form of prayer, for living prayer is the characteristic of genuine spirituality. Yet prayer is also vocal and may ther...more
This book is a collection of excerpts from different Puritan writers arranged as prayers and organized by category. I have been reading a prayer a day with my devotions and have found it helpful to make their prayers my own. I only wish I knew which Puritans wrote them as the book doesn't tell you. Here are some of my favorite prayers:
May my words and works allure others to the highest walks of faith and love.
Teach me the happy art of attending to things temporal with a mind intent on things ete...more
May my words and works allure others to the highest walks of faith and love.
Teach me the happy art of attending to things temporal with a mind intent on things ete...more
The Valley of Vision is a must have book for anyone's devotional time. It is a collection of beautiful Puritan prayers, divided by various subjects. It can be read straight through (that's what I did the first time) or the prayers can easily be selected based on what's going on in one's life at the time. I found it to be inspiring, as it frequently helped me launch my own prayers. I would usually read one of these prayers at the end of my devotional time, after all other sources had been read, r...more
This is a collection of prayers and meditations which the editor gleaned from Puritan writings. I picked this one up because I was doing a year-long study on prayer and was told this book contained good examples of prayers. The person who told me this was not wrong.
The language used by the writers of these prayers was beautiful and gave me much to think on. In addition, I gathered many examples of how to incorporate Scripture into my prayer life.
If you too are looking for ways to enhance your...more
The language used by the writers of these prayers was beautiful and gave me much to think on. In addition, I gathered many examples of how to incorporate Scripture into my prayer life.
If you too are looking for ways to enhance your...more
This collection of Puritan prayers is an invaluable resource for directing your prayer life in a Biblical manner, by putting you in your place (a sinning, broken beggar before the just, holy and sovereign throne of God) while displaying the love, greatness, supremacy, compassion, and nearness of Jesus Christ through the infinitely glorious work of His life, death and resurrection... which brings Gospel healing to sin-laden souls (which aren't we all just that?). The richness of these prayers is...more
The Valley of Vision is an edited collection of prayers written by Puritan authors from the 16th to 19th centuries (e.g. Thomas Watson, Richard Baxter, John Bunyan, Isaac Watts, David Brainerd, C.H. Spurgeon). This book has been a rich source of encouragement and food for my soul as I've read a prayer each day over the last 2 or 3 years. (How can there possibly be 400 pages & 200 prayers in a such a little book?! I should have bought the paperback, the thin paper in the leather bound edition...more
The Valley of Vision is a slim prayer book, but the pages overflow with its goodness. The book is meant to be gone through slowly - hence why it took me nearly a full year to finish reading it. Prayer is not something meant to be rushed through, and this book is a great resource for praying thoughtfully. These prayers captivated my mind and soul, and if you are like me, you'll find yourself quoting them on Twitter and mulling over sections in your mind all day long in an ongoing offering of pray...more
As the title says, this is a collection of old, yet very true and wise prayers by godly people from the Puritan period.
They are profoundly insightful and heart stirring. These prayers wonderfully assist God's children in having deeper, more meaningful thoughts of our Lord.
Anyone wishing to develop shallow, flipant beliefs would find this an uncomfortable read.
This is a seriously healthy read which can be returned to many times over many years, and without disappointment.
They are profoundly insightful and heart stirring. These prayers wonderfully assist God's children in having deeper, more meaningful thoughts of our Lord.
Anyone wishing to develop shallow, flipant beliefs would find this an uncomfortable read.
This is a seriously healthy read which can be returned to many times over many years, and without disappointment.
This little book is so incredibly helpful when the rivers of prayer run dry ....which in my case so often do. This inspiring book doesn't merely touch the heart, it scrapes it out, revealing the evil motives that lurk within, shining the light on our perpetual inconsistencies. Valley of Vision is just that, it speaks to you in the valley & most certainly gives clarity to your spiritual vision. There's a good reason this book is still around & will be for a long time to come!
I have dipped into this prayer book off and on for a couple of years, but finally can say I've read through every single prayer after using Joe Thorn's "Walking Through the Valley of Vision" prayer guide/schedule. I can't recommend it highly enough. The language is a bit archaic, but not so much so as to be cumbersome or unreadable. And the theology is so rich. Beautiful, gospel-saturated prayers that stir my heart to love and trust and obey my Savior. One to revisit often.
I am an Anglican Christian. I read the sleep prayer every night before I go to sleep. But the thing that makes me annoyed about this book- some evangelical Christianity is incredibly self loathing. God has appeared to us, and works work in our days, I wish that Christians around the world would stop whinging about how we have been separated from God- because we simply have not. Period. Nevertheless, A truly beautiful book.
These prayers are simple yet eloquent. Whether you're a fan of the English Puritans or not (I am), they'll add a dimension to your personal devotions unguided prayer often cannot. That's not to say you shouldn't pray unplanned prayers on your own; you should, but the deep piety and godliness evidenced by the prayers in The Valley of Vision offer excellent guidance and practice. I cannot recommend this book too highly.
The Valley of Vision is an excellent book for anyone who is serious about prayer. It provides prayers that express those emotions, frustration and desires for forgiveness and Divine acceptance. During my deployment to Iraq it provided perspective. I think that Catholics and Protestants will enjoy these timeless prayers. That, in itself, is a rare thing and makes The Valley of Vision worth reading.
This little book proves to be time and time again a very helpful resource for my own prayer life. Often, simply browsing through the contents helps me articulate what I'm praying about. This collection clearly conveys the perspective of being the created under the sovereign will of the Creator. Really, really good to get my heart in the right place.
Prayer should be a CAT scan of the soul, and these gleanings from Puritan spiritual doctors deliver. Selections from Baxter, Watson, Brooks, Spurgeon and more. I would have like to know the specific sources for the individual prayers, but still this is a wonderful work I should have gotten to earlier. We are reading them out loud now.
It's amazing that Puritan prayers from hundreds of years ago are still so applicable and powerful in modern times. My favorite of the collection is "Morning Dedication," which ends this way: "May I speak each word as if my final word, and walk each step as my final one. If my life should end today, let this be my best day."
This, more than any other book besides the Bible, has taught me to pray. Phrases like "Raise me above the smiles and frowns of this world" have become part of my heart and prayer life. This book is a collection of prayers from various puritans including C.H. Spurgeon, Richard Baxter, Isaac Watts, et. al. The authors of the individual prayers are not identified, which I like. Some of the vocabulary and sentence structure can be a challenge. Each prayer has been given a title, e.g. "Sleep" or "Voy...more
Like the ESV Study Bible and Operation World (Jason Mandryk), it can't really be categorized as "read" since it's not exactly something you read cover to cover and then are done with. It's a sweet little volume that is meant to be used and enjoyed over and over.
This is a wonderful little collection of prayers for those of us desiring to enrich our prayer life. The Puritans were serious about their spiritual walk and this is reflected in their God-centered prayer life. I find myself turning to this volume over and over again.
Next to my Bible, The Valley of Vision is my favorite choice for daily reading. The prayers are packed with rich theology and they never violate Scripture. They are a plentiful spiritual outpouring from the very minds and hearts of our Puritan forefathers.
The most amazing collection of prayers. I had a read a couple here and there online and loved them. I almost jumped at it when I saw it on the shelf. I'm so excited to have it! I plan to use it as a regular part of my devotional life now.
This book has deeply affected how I pray. The collection of prayers, though not divinely inspired like the Psalms, is filled with biblical reference and much sound doctrine. This is how mature, biblically literate Christians pray.
Even though this is in my "read" section, it is a book that can be read over and over again. These prayers focus my own prayers heavenward and really give me a vision to see how to pray and what to pray. High recommended!
Truly wonderful collection of prayers: convicting, instructive, aids in worship.... I've used this as a devotional guide, to look up prayers on specific topics and then reread those over the course of a week or two, ....
I got this as a groomsman's gift. I used it for personal devotions for a long time. Sometimes the language is just too outdated for me to appreciate, but overall, it's beautifully written. A great primer on how to pray.
A great read. It is a collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotional thoughts. This book is not only a great insight into the Puritan piety, but it also is tremendously helpful as personal devotional reading.
This is a collection of Puritan prayers - most of them wre not written for others - but were just part of their personal devotional life. They are all one page long. This is a fantastic devotional resource.
Want to kick your prayer life up a notch? My prayer vocabulary increased several-fold by reading these prayers. Still use it as a guidebook to express what is sometimes difficult to vocalize.
Wonderful collection. One can almost smell the oil lamp beside the pen. I like it that there are categories in this book.. Redemption and Reconciliation, Gifts of Grace, Needs and Devotions, etc. Much wisdom contained within these pages.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What a book!! | 3 | 25 | Apr 15, 2013 05:34pm |
Share This Book
1 trivia question
More quizzes & trivia...
“May I consent to and delight in thy law after the inner man, never complain over the strictness of thy demands, but mourn over my want of conformity to them; never question thy commandments, but esteem them to be right. By thy spirt within me may my practice spring from principle, and my dispositions be conformable with duty.”
—
1 person liked it
More quotes…
