Valley of Vision for Children - A Christian's Prayer
Another from my effort to simplify language for children from the Puritan classic, Valley of Vision:
Wonderful God,
All around are so many traps I can fall into -
Will You defend me?
When I feel tired and lazy and want to just kick back and relax and not do what You ask me to, would You please show me just a little glimpse of heaven?
When all I want is the stuff I see around me advertised in store windows and fliers that come in our mailbox, would You help me to grow in the wealth of Your house?
When the pleasures the world has to offer me are tangling me up in their worthless causes, help me not to fall into the guilt that I'd feel if I gave into them.
Help me to remember how much You've freed me from -
Let me not ever be too busy to give attention to the important things of my soul.
Please help me to be mindful of my eternal home when I get wrapped up in the busyness of my life and consumed with each hour's tasks - so that I can not only live for You now, but grow closer to You also.
Make me think of You rightly - so I won't look at how I grow spiritually and pat myself on the back or think that knowing You had anything to do with my own efforts.
If only I could long to love You more and more!
When I give up all my flesh wants so that my spirit can grow to want only what You want,
When I have learned to be kind to all those I see and know,
When I have learned patience and grown strong inside,
When I focus on You and Your kingdom,
When I deeply want to please You both in public and when I'm alone and no-one sees me,
Then will You create on the canvas of my life a picture of Christ?
And as You masterfully design me from the inside out, will You delight in me as You see the image of Your Son formed in me?
Because I am only what You make me to be - re-worked in the life of Christ Jesus - Your indelible marker imprinted by Your Spirit's strokes -
I am Your churned up soil ready and waiting for Your expert gardening hand to plant life-seeds in me - and then to work with and in me until You harvest all You designed for me to produce - a fruitful yield for Your glory and Kingdom.
Amen.
Wonderful God,
All around are so many traps I can fall into -
Will You defend me?
When I feel tired and lazy and want to just kick back and relax and not do what You ask me to, would You please show me just a little glimpse of heaven?
When all I want is the stuff I see around me advertised in store windows and fliers that come in our mailbox, would You help me to grow in the wealth of Your house?
When the pleasures the world has to offer me are tangling me up in their worthless causes, help me not to fall into the guilt that I'd feel if I gave into them.
Help me to remember how much You've freed me from -
Let me not ever be too busy to give attention to the important things of my soul.
Please help me to be mindful of my eternal home when I get wrapped up in the busyness of my life and consumed with each hour's tasks - so that I can not only live for You now, but grow closer to You also.
Make me think of You rightly - so I won't look at how I grow spiritually and pat myself on the back or think that knowing You had anything to do with my own efforts.
If only I could long to love You more and more!
When I give up all my flesh wants so that my spirit can grow to want only what You want,
When I have learned to be kind to all those I see and know,
When I have learned patience and grown strong inside,
When I focus on You and Your kingdom,
When I deeply want to please You both in public and when I'm alone and no-one sees me,
Then will You create on the canvas of my life a picture of Christ?
And as You masterfully design me from the inside out, will You delight in me as You see the image of Your Son formed in me?
Because I am only what You make me to be - re-worked in the life of Christ Jesus - Your indelible marker imprinted by Your Spirit's strokes -
I am Your churned up soil ready and waiting for Your expert gardening hand to plant life-seeds in me - and then to work with and in me until You harvest all You designed for me to produce - a fruitful yield for Your glory and Kingdom.
Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment