Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5220 in Books
• Published on: 1975-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 223 pages

Customer Reviews

Lord Teach Us to Pray!
"The soul learns to pray by praying; for prayer is communion with a transcendent and immanent God who on the ground of his nature and attributes calls forth all the powers of the redeemed soul in acts of total adoration and dedication." (Preface)

The Puritans recognized that prayer and doctrine are not to be separated. In their prayers they kept the two together. In fact it was their doctrinal understanding, which indeed produced such deep, and lasting prayers. Theology instilled a thorough passion for prayer. Likewise it is prayer, which sinks us deeper into the mysteries of God's self-disclosure of himself. It is prayer, which furthers our theology.

It is to this end which we, as Christians must strive. We must search out our Triune God in prayer and devotion as we seek him in his word and through our prayers.

Arthur Bennett has provided the Church a great service by collecting the prayers of the saints. The book is arranged topically under the following headings: 1. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; 2. Redemption and Reconciliation; 3. Penitence and Deprecation; 4. Needs and Devotions; 5. Holy Aspirations; 6. Approach to God; 7. Gifts of Grace; 8. Service and Ministry; 9. Valediction; 10. A Week's Shared Prayers.

This book is excellent for both private and public devotion. The only disadvantage I found to the book was that each individual prayer was not attributed to its corresponding author. However this is probably a good idea in keeping with the intent of the book. Its intention is as a guide to lead us to prayer when the heart is cold or to further pour fuel on the heart, which is already aflame.

May this be used of the Lord to ignite our hearts in a holy passion toward him. O' Lord teach us to pray!

A Glimpse of Puritan Spirituality
I can read about three or four prayers before being overwhelmed by the depth and riches of these prayers. They show the depth of knowledge and wisdom of their writers, but even more they show the writers' deep abhorrence of their sin and devotion to God. They also show keen insight into the private sins of our hearts. These prayers are old; I had to frequently consult a dictionary to understand some words that are no longer in common use. I can't help but feel that Christianity in our day is terribly shallow compared to what the Puritans knew.

Each prayer is about one page long, has a brief title given by the book's editor, and is presented anonymously. The prayers are grouped into sections such as "Redemption and Reconciliation," "Holy Aspirations," and "Approach to God." A brief preface is the only background given, all the rest of the book is simply the prayers themselves.

I have only two faults with the book, but neither merit rating it less than five stars. First, the titles of the sections closely describe the main theme of that section, but the titles of the individual prayers do not consistently (in my mind) state the main theme of that prayer. Second, the prayers are not attributed to their authors, and I would very much like to know who wrote each one. However, I will allow that perhaps Arthur Bennett intended for us not to know so we would focus on the Creator rather than the creature.

One other thing to mention is that this is one of the most sturdy, well-published paperback books I have seen. After carrying this book on my commute to work for reading, it has held up much better than other paperbacks. The pages were so thick I often had to check the page numbers to make sure I had not skipped a page.

I highly recommend this book for all Christians for personal study to receive greater conviction of sin, more language to express your devotion to God, and instruction on how to pray fervently.

A book that every Christian should own!
The Valley of Vision, by Arthur Bennett is a collection of Puritan prayers compiled and listed by topic. With subjects such as the Trinity, penitence and deprecation, approach to God, and Gifts of grace (to name a few), The Valley of Vision gives us insight into the humble piety of the Puritan prayer life. It also shares with us our need for this reverence for God and the importance of true communion with Him through prayer. The first prayer summarizes the purpose of this book with the following words, "Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights..." The main theme of the book is to show Christians that we are first brought to the valley in order that we may see above the mountaintops. This book is a must have for every Christian. It can be used as a daily devotional as well as a guide for our own prayers. Deeply moving and overflowing with the reflections of God's immeasurable grace, Valley of Vision will touch every home and press every heart towards a closer walk with the Lord.