Prayer is something you learn or grow in (see Luke 11:1). Over the last few years, I’ve been using the ‘The Valley of Vision’ (a collection of puritan prayers and devotions) to help me grow in my praying. One of the lessons that I’ve been learning about prayer, is the more we immerse ourselves in the great drama of scripture, the more our prayers will become richer and brutally honest. Take for example this extract from ‘The Minister’s Strength’ prayer:

“Break the Dagon of pride in pieces before the ark of thy presence;

Demolish the Babel of self-opinion, and scatter it to the wind;

Level to the ground my Jericho walls of a rebel heart;

Then grace, grace will be my experience and cry.”

In four short lines, the author deals with pride, self-opinion, a rebel heart, and the sweet restoring power of Grace.