Spiritual Helps

An encouraging Puritan prayer and my favorite (modern) hymn

Photo by iuliu illes on Unsplash

Arthur G. Bennett labored ceaselessly to uncover and compile a collection of Puritan prayers steeped in Scripture. His collection, The Valley of Vision, is a timeless work and reveals much of the Puritans’ spirit and devotion.

One prayer I’ve returned to frequently and found gives words to some feelings that I can’t always quite verbalize is found in The Valley of Vision, titled “Spiritual Helps.”

It’s worth sharing at least the first portion:

Eternal Father,

It is amazing love,

that thou hast sent thy Son

to suffer in my stead,

that thou hast added the Spirit

to teach, comfort, guide,

that thou hast allowed the ministry of angels

to wall me around;

All heaven subserves the welfare of a poor worm.

Permit thy unseen servants to be ever active

on my behalf,

and to rejoice when grace expands in me.

Suffer them never to rest until my conflict is over, and I stand victorious on salvation’s shore.

Grant that my proneness to evil, deadness to good,

resistance to thy Spirit’s motions,

may never provoke thee to abandon me.

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

And if the enemy gets an advantage

through my corruption,

let it be seen that heaven is mightier than hell,

that those for me are greater than those

against me.

(pp. 242–243)

“May my hard heart awake thy pity, not thy wrath,” the Puritan pens. After salvation, it is true that God’s work is continually changing our hearts, minds, and wills to love him. Perhaps this only serves as more reason to be dismayed when we falter in obedience, when we sin against God. Our desires may be to please God, but so often we are pulled back into the darkness of sinful habits we’ve broken.

There are times when grief over sin is heavy, when the weight of injustice and wrongdoing—in oneself and in the world—crush the spirit. It can so easily stir up fear, anxiety, worry. This prayer reminds us that even in our states of doubt and distress, the work of salvation is God’s, from start to finish.

If you are not yet aware—as my wife, who hears this song in the car multiple times a week—perhaps my favorite (modern) hymn is “He Will Hold Me Fast.” Not only is the melody beautiful, but the lyrics are equally realistic about human frailty and hope-ridden about the power of Christ in sustaining believers. “When I fear my faith will fail,” the hymn starts, “Christ will hold me fast. When the tempter would prevail, he will hold me fast. I could never keep my hold, through life’s fearful path. For my love is often cold; he must hold me fast.” The Christian life is surely one in which we are responsible for our actions. We are entrusted with the great mystery of salvation, with the expectation of obedience revealed in Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Yet, it is not so we are crushed by our need to obey the Lord.

At times, we will fail. We will falter, struggle—sin. “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John. 2:1, ESV). The one who worked salvation in us is the one in whom all our trust must be placed. He who forgave us from our sins, beckoning us from a past life bent on opposing God, will be faithful to forgive us our sins and strengthen us to follow him.

“Let it be seen that heaven is mightier than hell,” the Puritan continues; it is. “Raised with him to endless life,” the hymn concludes, “he will hold me fast. ‘Til our faith is turned to sight, when he comes at last!”

What hope we have! The Lord Jesus Christ will save us, keep us, persevere us until the end. And then, our faith, though doubtful at times and fractured by sinfulness, will be turned to sight—to fullness. He will hold us fast.

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I encourage you to purchase The Valley of Vision, as there are many great prayers to pray and it is a wonderful little work of Church history.

Remember: heaven is mightier than hell.