Spiritual Helps

Eternal Father,

It is amazing love,

that you have sent your Son

to suffer in my place,

that you have given the Spirit

to teach, comfort, guide,

that you have allowed the ministry of angels

to put a wall of protection around me

All heaven is laboring for the welfare of a poor worm

Permit your unseen servants to be ever active on my behalf

and to rejoice when grace expands in me.

May you never allow them to rest until my fight is over

and I stand victorious on salvation's shore.

Grant that my inclination to evil,

my deadness to good,

my resistance to your Spirit's motions,

may never provoke you to abandon me.

May my hard heart awake your pity, not your wrath,

And if the enemy gets an advantage through my corruption,

let it be seen that heaven is mightier than hell,

that those who are for me are greater than those against me

Arise to my help in richness of covenant blessings,

Keep me feeding in the pastures of your strengthening Word

searching Scripture to find you there.

If my my waywardness is visited with a blow,

enable me to receive correction meekly,

to bless the reproving hand,

to discern the motive of rebuke,

to respond promptly, and return to doing the good work.

Let all your fatherly dealings make me a partner of your holiness.

Grant that in every fall I may sink lower on my knees,

and that when I rise it may be to loftier heights of devotion.

May my every cross be sanctified,

every loss be gain,

every denial a spiritual advantage,

every dark day a light of the Holy Spirit,

every night of trial a song.

Introduction

Julie & Julia.

This is what finally inspired me to do this. We watched that movie one night not so long ago and I thought it was admirable that the lady just decided to take on the challenge (if you haven't watched the movie, the challenge was to cook through the entire Julia Child's cook book in a year).

I have dreamed about revising the puritan prayers that are compiled in the book Valley of Vision for a long time. I have actually re-written some of them already for personal and corporate devotional use. I've also had some discussions with the publishers of that book (Banner of Truth) about the possibility of publishing an updated version for modern readers. So far, they think it is a good idea, but not one that warrants doing.

My view is that we as Christians need to have a firm grasp on the past as we strain forward to what lies ahead. To relinquish either tends to leave us unbalanced.

Sometimes it is helpful to update older resources to make them more accessible for modern users. This is the same reason that the work of creating new Bible translations needs to be ongoing. We need God's words in our language.

I got the idea for doing this a long time ago. But it wasn't until I saw the revised version of Spurgeon's Morning and Evening done by Alstair Begg that I became convinced of the viability (and, I think, need) of such an undertaking.

Some will say, "It ain't broke - don't try to fix it!" Others would want to go further in modernizing the language. My goal is to update the verbage in such a way that modern readers find it less off-putting, while preserving as much of the grand poetry and timbre of the original.

If I would compare what I'm aiming at with a Bible translation method, I'm aiming at something between King James (too antiquated) and the NIV (too paraphrased). If I could provide a good "ESV-type" version of Valley of Vision, I would be well satisfied.

I would be happy to hear your thoughts: On the subject in general, what VoV has meant to you in your spiritual life, or the actual updating work itself. I hope to meet other sojourners as I take this journey!

Chief Sinner,

Andrew LeCleir