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Prone to Wander: Prayers of Confession and Celebration
Confessing our sins might seem like a gloomy business—God already knows about them, so what's the point of dwelling on failure? But confession is more celebratory than we think. It does not simply remind us of our guilt, but points us to our great Savior, who has atoned for us and lovingly pursues us despite our wandering.
These prayers open with a scriptural call of confession, confess specific sins, thank the Father for Jesus' perfect life and death in our place, ask for the help of the Spirit in pursuing holiness, and close with an assurance of pardon.
Inspired by the Puritan classic The Valley of Vision, these prayers were developed for both personal devotions and church use
These prayers open with a scriptural call of confession, confess specific sins, thank the Father for Jesus' perfect life and death in our place, ask for the help of the Spirit in pursuing holiness, and close with an assurance of pardon.
Inspired by the Puritan classic The Valley of Vision, these prayers were developed for both personal devotions and church use
220 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 15, 2014
79 people are currently reading
358 people want to read
About the author
Barbara R. Duguid
4 books20 followersBarbara Duguid is a counselor and ministry assistant at Christ Presbyterian Church (ARP) in Grove City, PA where she crafts the weekly liturgy. She is a pastor’s wife and the mother of 6 children, and she holds an advanced certificate in biblical counseling from the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF) in Glenside, PA.
She is married to Iain M. Duguid.
She is married to Iain M. Duguid.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 1, 2018
A valuable collection of prayers that can serve either the individual (as they did in my case) or the church. Each entry follows the same structure: call to confession (some text of Scripture) -> prayer of confession -> assurance of pardon (another text of Scripture) -> hymns. And each prayer of confession follows the same basic pattern: confession of sin -> confession of faith in Christ and meditation on his faithfulness in contrast with our own faithlessness -> plea for the Spirit's help in living in response to the goodness and grace of God.
Each prayer is penetrating in its confession. Duguid and Houk managed somehow to make these prayers both general and specific, such that you find yourself "repenting of particular sins particularly" (in the words of the Westminster Confession). Each prayer also has an explicit Trinitarian shape. In short, you come away from these prayers with greater knowledge of God in Christ and of yourself in light of the judgment and consolation of the gospel.
Each prayer is penetrating in its confession. Duguid and Houk managed somehow to make these prayers both general and specific, such that you find yourself "repenting of particular sins particularly" (in the words of the Westminster Confession). Each prayer also has an explicit Trinitarian shape. In short, you come away from these prayers with greater knowledge of God in Christ and of yourself in light of the judgment and consolation of the gospel.
April 8, 2017
"The purpose of confessing our sins is not to render us miserable by simply reminding us what great sinners we are. It is to remind us of what a great Savior we have.”
This was a wonderful book. The book covered a variety of topics: pride, prayer, doubt, love, hypocrisy, love, etc (there are over 90 topics covered). Each chapter consists of: Confession of Sin, Prayer of Confession (appealing to all 3 Godheads) Assurance of Pardon, and recommended Hymns.
The author did a great job with the prayers of confession, plunging to the deep, raw parts of our hearts. I felt like the author was expressing the prayers I desired, but unable to put into words. This can be used as a primer to your own prayer life.
I recommend this to anyone who desires to have a deeper prayer life or those who have trouble finding the words.
If you liked the Valley of Vision you will love Prone to Wander.
I received a free copy from the publisher. No review, positive or otherwise, was required—all opinions are my own.
This was a wonderful book. The book covered a variety of topics: pride, prayer, doubt, love, hypocrisy, love, etc (there are over 90 topics covered). Each chapter consists of: Confession of Sin, Prayer of Confession (appealing to all 3 Godheads) Assurance of Pardon, and recommended Hymns.
The author did a great job with the prayers of confession, plunging to the deep, raw parts of our hearts. I felt like the author was expressing the prayers I desired, but unable to put into words. This can be used as a primer to your own prayer life.
I recommend this to anyone who desires to have a deeper prayer life or those who have trouble finding the words.
If you liked the Valley of Vision you will love Prone to Wander.
I received a free copy from the publisher. No review, positive or otherwise, was required—all opinions are my own.
April 26, 2015
There are so many prayers that go unsaid. For whatever reason our confessions can be limited to the immediate and/or the recurring struggles with sin. This very special book of 93 devotional-style prayers help us to be more specific about many areas of our life that we haven't previously focused on in prayer.
The prayers cover a comprehensive set of topics including various common sins such as lying, hypocrisy, sexual impurity to a whole bevy of themes which are wonderfully indexed at the back including anxiety, judging others, laziness, self-centredness and so on. Each day begins with a Scriptural "Call to Confession" that sets the biblical basis for the prayer. Each prayer is typically in three parts reflecting the Trinity. They end with a Scriptural "Assurance of Pardon" plus some suggested hymns to worship to.
It's designed to be used continually and/or when one is struggling with a particular issue find the relevant prayer to use. I expect I'll be using it for both and on first reading I found I lingered on a few prayers for many days as a result of their relevance to my particular circumstances.
Highly recommended.
The prayers cover a comprehensive set of topics including various common sins such as lying, hypocrisy, sexual impurity to a whole bevy of themes which are wonderfully indexed at the back including anxiety, judging others, laziness, self-centredness and so on. Each day begins with a Scriptural "Call to Confession" that sets the biblical basis for the prayer. Each prayer is typically in three parts reflecting the Trinity. They end with a Scriptural "Assurance of Pardon" plus some suggested hymns to worship to.
It's designed to be used continually and/or when one is struggling with a particular issue find the relevant prayer to use. I expect I'll be using it for both and on first reading I found I lingered on a few prayers for many days as a result of their relevance to my particular circumstances.
Highly recommended.
November 16, 2025
A remarkable book of prayer. On most days I’ve read at least one section in the morning, sometimes one in the evening. It has been heart shaping to include confession in this format each day; the authors frequently identified areas of repentance that I needed, yet never ended a prayer without praise for God’s grace. Also of note, each prayer is profoundly Trinitarian and serves as an excellent model for those who desire to pray in communion with each person of the Godhead.
December 7, 2019
When I first realized that the communion of saints, which I confessed well before I understood, meant that I am united to others in Christ regardless of temporal limitations, that I was in fellowship with believers around the room, around the town, around the world and throughout the ages, I was blown away. To think that, in a very real way, I fellowship with Paul and Peter and John and Aquinas and Augustine and Jerome and Luther and Calvin and Baxter and Spurgeon and countless others whose names I will not know until eternity, is overwhelmingly encouraging and exciting to me. And upon learning this, a treasure that had laid hidden on my bookshelf was revealed for what it is. This gem was hidden in plain sight.
When I had read The Valley of Vision and only found examples of prayer, it was neat. It was encouraging. It was a good devotional book. But when I opened those pages and realized that, through the communion of saints in Christ, I had the opportunity to pray with these believers who have now entered into the presence of the Lord, it became so much more than encouraging, so much more than neat. It became, as much as any other non-canonical book I have read, a blessing. To say that I hold The Valley of Vision in high esteem would be stating it rather mildly. So, when I heard that P&R was releasing a book that would be “like the Valley of Vision”, I was initially rather skeptical.
But I shouldn’t have been. P&R Publishing blesses me over and again with the resources they put out. And when I found out that Barbara Duguid was an author for this project, I became very interested. Duguid wrote a book (Extravagant Grace) that ministered greatly to many people, myself not the least. The way God used her to shower the reader in his grace and see to it that the truths of the Gospel invade the deepest and darkest crevices of our remaining sin stirred hope and peace in me that had not been experienced in too long. To say that I had high expectations for Prone to Wander would be stating it rather mildly.
The book is organized by topical prayers. Topics include: forgiveness, doubt, love for enemies, unity, love, and many more. Each prayer is prefaced with a Scripture that is a “Call to Confession”. This Scripture is utilized to show us areas of sin in our life. After the perfect requirements of God are laid before us, the authors lead in prayer of confession drenched in theological richness, broken confession, and Gospel hope. After the prayer, an “Assurance of Pardon” is presented in the form of another appropriate Scripture. Then a few hymns are suggested for the reader to respond with in praise through song.
The uses for this work are manifold. I would love to see it implemented in some manner in our small group times or even corporate worship at church. I am eager to use it in family worship and it will get much use in private devotions. One of the benefits to this new release is the fact that it is a new release and the language reflects that. While I love the older language you find in The Valley of Vision, it is charming and just feels pretty, the modern language in Prone to Wander opens it up to greater use in family devotions and community settings where old English is not as well received.
To say that my expectations have been met would be stating it mildly. :-D This gem will be a mainstay in my library and, as importantly, in my “books to give as gifts” list. I have gifted this book out a couple of times already and plan to do so again. I do hope that P&R will release a beautiful leather version like Banner of Truth has done for The Valley of Vision. I would love to have a copy that is as aesthetically breathtaking as the contents are emotionally stirring and spiritually edifying. As it stands, the paperback edition is not bad at all and the contents are altogether amazing.
I received a review copy from the Publisher
When I had read The Valley of Vision and only found examples of prayer, it was neat. It was encouraging. It was a good devotional book. But when I opened those pages and realized that, through the communion of saints in Christ, I had the opportunity to pray with these believers who have now entered into the presence of the Lord, it became so much more than encouraging, so much more than neat. It became, as much as any other non-canonical book I have read, a blessing. To say that I hold The Valley of Vision in high esteem would be stating it rather mildly. So, when I heard that P&R was releasing a book that would be “like the Valley of Vision”, I was initially rather skeptical.
But I shouldn’t have been. P&R Publishing blesses me over and again with the resources they put out. And when I found out that Barbara Duguid was an author for this project, I became very interested. Duguid wrote a book (Extravagant Grace) that ministered greatly to many people, myself not the least. The way God used her to shower the reader in his grace and see to it that the truths of the Gospel invade the deepest and darkest crevices of our remaining sin stirred hope and peace in me that had not been experienced in too long. To say that I had high expectations for Prone to Wander would be stating it rather mildly.
The book is organized by topical prayers. Topics include: forgiveness, doubt, love for enemies, unity, love, and many more. Each prayer is prefaced with a Scripture that is a “Call to Confession”. This Scripture is utilized to show us areas of sin in our life. After the perfect requirements of God are laid before us, the authors lead in prayer of confession drenched in theological richness, broken confession, and Gospel hope. After the prayer, an “Assurance of Pardon” is presented in the form of another appropriate Scripture. Then a few hymns are suggested for the reader to respond with in praise through song.
The uses for this work are manifold. I would love to see it implemented in some manner in our small group times or even corporate worship at church. I am eager to use it in family worship and it will get much use in private devotions. One of the benefits to this new release is the fact that it is a new release and the language reflects that. While I love the older language you find in The Valley of Vision, it is charming and just feels pretty, the modern language in Prone to Wander opens it up to greater use in family devotions and community settings where old English is not as well received.
To say that my expectations have been met would be stating it mildly. :-D This gem will be a mainstay in my library and, as importantly, in my “books to give as gifts” list. I have gifted this book out a couple of times already and plan to do so again. I do hope that P&R will release a beautiful leather version like Banner of Truth has done for The Valley of Vision. I would love to have a copy that is as aesthetically breathtaking as the contents are emotionally stirring and spiritually edifying. As it stands, the paperback edition is not bad at all and the contents are altogether amazing.
I received a review copy from the Publisher
October 10, 2014
Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
mount of thy redeeming love.
2. Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I'm come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.
3. O to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here's my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above
I am not sure if the above hymn is what inspired this devotional but it is one of my favorites. It is a reflection of our hearts. This devotional is a reflection of our hearts as well. If you are not offended by the truth, you will be encouraged by the promise. The devotional is done daily. A heart condition (such as Judging Others) is brought in light of scripture followed by a prayer of confession, followed by a scripture of assurance of pardon, then lastly, titles of hymns.
This is a devotional that you will want to use and to share with others. I loved it.
A special thank you to P & R Publishing, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
mount of thy redeeming love.
2. Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I'm come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.
3. O to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here's my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above
I am not sure if the above hymn is what inspired this devotional but it is one of my favorites. It is a reflection of our hearts. This devotional is a reflection of our hearts as well. If you are not offended by the truth, you will be encouraged by the promise. The devotional is done daily. A heart condition (such as Judging Others) is brought in light of scripture followed by a prayer of confession, followed by a scripture of assurance of pardon, then lastly, titles of hymns.
This is a devotional that you will want to use and to share with others. I loved it.
A special thank you to P & R Publishing, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 7, 2015
Wonderful. I read these every few days before or after my Bible reading over about 6 months. They consistently applied the gospel to my heart in convicting and encouraging ways. Reading these prayers was sometimes merely devotional, and sometimes became actual prayer. I also used them as the basis for public praying in church quite often.
Currently reading
November 14, 2019Excellent! Read and rereading for the 3rd time.
April 25, 2020
A thought provoking treasure.
September 22, 2022
The human heart longs to worship, and that longing to be deeply honest and authenic in our confession is the cry of our weary souls. This versatile book guides the individual or church body into biblical reconciliation with the God of all creation in personal confession of sin. As Iain Duguid opens in his Foreward of the book, "Confession is good for the soul." We know that confession ought to be an integral part of our prayers, but far to often we are general as we confess, "Lord, forgive us our debts.." And then we wander, into ourselves and the focus is "Me" rather than the great work of Christ on the Cross for me!
Following are a sampling of a few of the prayers that are inspired by Arthur Bennett's, Valley of Vision,
“Heavenly Father, Thank you for taking us into the wilderness time and time again, for there we see revealed the secret sins of our souls. In the desert we experience your great power to save us from our unruly and sinful hearts, and there we complain bitterly when you withhold the pleasures and delicacies of life we have come to expect. Father, forgive us.”
“Forgive us for relying on our own wisdom and strength; for the hours we spend trying to rescue ourselves from pain, suffering, and sin, when you have already rescued us in your Son.”
“Transform us, by your mercy and grace, into children who are more thankful for your kindness, more humble under your correction, more watchful against temptation, more eager to serve you. Give us hearts overflowing with joy in you and lips that boast often of Jesus Christ, our only hope in life and in death.”
As Marin Luther put in the first of his ninety-five theses, "The entire Christian life is to be one of repentance". Thank you to Barbara Duguid and Wayne Duguid Houk for giving us this beautiful book of prayers that everyday we might be guided into confession and celebration!
Following are a sampling of a few of the prayers that are inspired by Arthur Bennett's, Valley of Vision,
“Heavenly Father, Thank you for taking us into the wilderness time and time again, for there we see revealed the secret sins of our souls. In the desert we experience your great power to save us from our unruly and sinful hearts, and there we complain bitterly when you withhold the pleasures and delicacies of life we have come to expect. Father, forgive us.”
“Forgive us for relying on our own wisdom and strength; for the hours we spend trying to rescue ourselves from pain, suffering, and sin, when you have already rescued us in your Son.”
“Transform us, by your mercy and grace, into children who are more thankful for your kindness, more humble under your correction, more watchful against temptation, more eager to serve you. Give us hearts overflowing with joy in you and lips that boast often of Jesus Christ, our only hope in life and in death.”
As Marin Luther put in the first of his ninety-five theses, "The entire Christian life is to be one of repentance". Thank you to Barbara Duguid and Wayne Duguid Houk for giving us this beautiful book of prayers that everyday we might be guided into confession and celebration!
July 30, 2022
A wonderful reflection through prayer and confession that I think every believer needs reminding of. This book has been a constant read in my household, bringing much needed humility, Gospel-focus, and genuine self-reflection. In a world so dead set on self-truths and eisegesis of scripture to one’s own narrative, Prone to Wander is a refreshing wake-up call to confession, repentance, and a need for household liturgy. Beautifully written, triune focused, and gracefully convicting, this little book of prayers has become a favorite and first recommendation of mine to others.
December 12, 2021
An excellent book to encourage examination of the heart and confession. I used it as a morning and evening devotional and a prayer guide. Similar to the Valley of Vision in provoking the heart. Will definitely be reading this through again every so often.
January 19, 2024
Barbara is one of my favorite authors. This is an excellent book of daily confessions. She seems to know my sinful heart well and points me daily to the good news of Jesus. Her book “extravagant grace” is one of my top 5 all time favorite books.
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January 19, 2020Prone to Wander is not currently available at local libraries.
January 4, 2021
She is one of my very favorite authors.
January 17, 2023
Too structured and impersonal for me
Want to read
December 4, 2025Sara P
December 10, 2014
There may be people who have a flair for preaching, but I doubt there’s anyone who has a flair for praying. compared to preaching, it’s even harder to find good prayer-ers. Why is that? Partly because good prayers are work hard, I do not think that any persons who prays well who has not put in countless hours of private prayers or who has not put hard work thinking through what and how to pray.
As young christians, we primarily learn how to pray by listening to how others pray. As one examines the history of how hermeneutics or theology has grown it is surprising how prayer has stayed relatively stagnant through the years. We have volumes of sermons printed, but few volumes on prayers. Perhaps “The Valley of Vision” or “Lifting up Our Hearts” comes to mind, but good prayers are terribly hard to find.
Which is why I love this book, this book helps christians to pray. They are good, biblical and sound prayers that’s fit for every christian to learn. Furthermore, they have a wide range of prayers available for christians to learn how and what to pray in different occasions.
Each prayer is built within a context of a bible reading. And the prayer helps the reader/prayer-er to learn how to respond to the text in view. The prayers are order according to the books of the bible, with prayers starting from Genesis all the way to the letters of John. All the prayers begin with a call to confession, essentially the reading of a passage of a bible. Next, a prayer of confession, helping readers vocalise and pray in response to the passage read. Lastly, assurance of pardon, this is also a passage in the bible that aims to reassure christians about the grace and the power of God to save and to keep.
Christians of all walks of lives should be thankful for this work by Barbara Duguid and Wayne Houk. Highly Recommended for all christians, worship leaders, pastors or anyone who leads the congregation in public prayer ought to buy this book and use it constantly, so that our prayers might grow in leaps and bounds. Really do consider getting one for yourself and maybe another as a christmas present. This really is a great book.
Rating: 5 / 5
Disclaimer: I was given this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
As young christians, we primarily learn how to pray by listening to how others pray. As one examines the history of how hermeneutics or theology has grown it is surprising how prayer has stayed relatively stagnant through the years. We have volumes of sermons printed, but few volumes on prayers. Perhaps “The Valley of Vision” or “Lifting up Our Hearts” comes to mind, but good prayers are terribly hard to find.
Which is why I love this book, this book helps christians to pray. They are good, biblical and sound prayers that’s fit for every christian to learn. Furthermore, they have a wide range of prayers available for christians to learn how and what to pray in different occasions.
Each prayer is built within a context of a bible reading. And the prayer helps the reader/prayer-er to learn how to respond to the text in view. The prayers are order according to the books of the bible, with prayers starting from Genesis all the way to the letters of John. All the prayers begin with a call to confession, essentially the reading of a passage of a bible. Next, a prayer of confession, helping readers vocalise and pray in response to the passage read. Lastly, assurance of pardon, this is also a passage in the bible that aims to reassure christians about the grace and the power of God to save and to keep.
Christians of all walks of lives should be thankful for this work by Barbara Duguid and Wayne Houk. Highly Recommended for all christians, worship leaders, pastors or anyone who leads the congregation in public prayer ought to buy this book and use it constantly, so that our prayers might grow in leaps and bounds. Really do consider getting one for yourself and maybe another as a christmas present. This really is a great book.
Rating: 5 / 5
Disclaimer: I was given this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
May 17, 2015
I received this book from P&R Publishing. It's a nice collection of prayers. Each prayer includes a bible passage with a call to confession and assurance to pardon as well as a list of corresponding hymns. There are prayers for all sort of different needs: suffering, patience, lying, loving your enemy, judging other, forgiveness, anger, repaying evil for evil, and more.
Read
November 9, 2014Sounds good but our library doesn't have it & the Kindle version is too expensive ~ watching for it to go on sale for an affordable price.
August 5, 2016
Similar to The Valley of Vision. It bookends the devotional prayer with Scripture. Very God centered. Highly recommended.
June 15, 2025
Excellent book of prayers! I was washed by Scripture and filled with joy throughout this book of prayers. I really like the format of each section.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews