Seeking the God of All Grace
It was around this time of year, years ago after we first moved to Minneapolis, that I discovered a little book called The Valley of Vision. It’s a collection of old Puritan prayers, each concise and profound — a rare combination that alone makes the book a worthwhile read. Altogether, The Valley of Vision is a guide that will enrich the way you pray, especially in the area of earnest surrender.
Petitions are a big part of prayer. Jesus tells us to ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7:7). And while those requests often revolve around our daily bread, because those needs are so apparent in our lives, we can also ask for our deepest desires. What do you most want? This is a big question, but don’t stumble over it. We know what we should most want … we should most want God — to be like Jesus, to be satisfied in him, to magnify his glory, our utmost for his highest. So, we should ask him for that … earnestly, and at all costs.
Below is a prayer, from the aforementioned treasure trove, that shows us how:
God of all grace, you have given me a Savior; produce in me a faith to live by him, to make him all my desire, all my hope, all my glory.
May I shelter in him as my refuge,
build on him as my foundation,
walk in him as my way,
follow him as my guide,
conform to him as my example,
receive his instructions as my prophet,
rely on his intercession as my high priest,
obey him as my king.
May I never be ashamed of him or his words but joyfully bear his reproach,
never displease him by unholy or imprudent conduct,
never count it a glory if I take it patiently when buffeted for a fault,
never make the multitude my model,
never delay when your word invites me to advance.
May your dear Son preserve me from this present evil world, so that its smiles never allure,
nor its frowns terrify,
nor its vices defile,
nor its errors delude me.
May I feel that I am a stranger and a pilgrim on earth, declaring plainly that I seek a country, my title to it becoming daily clearer,
my meetness for it more perfect,
my foretastes of it more abundant;
and, whatsoever I do,
may it be done in the Savior's name. Amen.
(“The Saviour,” 78-79)
