I have come to enjoy Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening more than any other devotional. Spurgeon writes while bearing his soul and in his bearing I have come to delight all the more in our God of grace who has ransomed me and made me his own.
As Katie and I were preparing breakfast this morning we talked about the source of our strength and our only hope for life - staying close to Jesus and depending upon the strength he provides, and then we read Spurgeon. Our conversation this morning over eggs was expressing that our hope in ministry, our hope as parenting children, and whatever else we face is dependent upon the strength that he provides. This is your only hope too, beloved. How impoverished when left to ourselves, but how abundant we are when we rely on the strength that our Christ provides.
May you be enriched by the words of Spurgeon from this morning’s devotion.
“Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens."
Lamentations 3:41
The act of prayer teaches us our unworthiness, which is a very salutary lesson for such proud beings as we are. If God gave us favours without constraining us to pray for them we should never know how poor we are, but a true prayer is an inventory of wants, a catalogue of necessities, a revelation of hidden poverty. While it is an application to divine wealth, it is a confession of human emptiness. The most healthy state of a Christian is to be always empty in self and constantly depending upon the Lord for supplies; to be always poor in self and rich in Jesus; weak as water personally, but mighty through God to do great exploits; and hence the use of prayer, because, while it adores God, it lays the creature where it should be, in the very dust. Prayer is in itself, apart from the answer which it brings, a great benefit to the Christian. As the runner gains strength for the race by daily exercise, so for the great race of life we acquire energy by the hallowed labour of prayer. Prayer plumes the wings of God's young eaglets, that they may learn to mount above the clouds. Prayer girds the loins of God's warriors, and sends them forth to combat with their sinews braced and their muscles firm. An earnest pleader cometh out of his closet, even as the sun ariseth from the chambers of the east, rejoicing like a strong man to run his race. Prayer is that uplifted hand of Moses which routs the Amalekites more than the sword of Joshua; it is the arrow shot from the chamber of the prophet foreboding defeat to the Syrians. Prayer girds human weakness with divine strength, turns human folly into heavenly wisdom, and gives to troubled mortals the peace of God. We know not what prayer cannot do! We thank thee, great God, for the mercy-seat, a choice proof of thy marvellous lovingkindness. Help us to use it aright throughout this day!
You can read Spurgeon each day here.
I prefer Alistair Begg’s Revised Edition.
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