Author: Charles Spurgeon

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

O you who dwells in the highest heavens, yet also dwells in lowly hearts, make us lowly; set us free from all wrath, and pride, and foul desire, and groveling worldliness. Make us conscious of sin; trembling at you but rejoicing in your mercy; hoping in your salvation; triumphing in your love. Even so, our hearts become a temple, and God, even God, that fills all things, shall come and fill us also, with all the fullness of God.

O God, we cannot live without you. You have spoiled us for the world. We cannot now be content with it; and you have spoiled us for all things short of Jesus. We believe in nothing else but in Jesus, and in all else that we do, we go back with intense delight to the preaching and the hearing of the gospel. There is none like it.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:7)

Let us not be mistaken: God never gave us faith to play with. Faith is a sword. But it was not made to exhibit upon a parade ground. It was meant to cut and wound and slay. Whoever has it may expect, between here and heaven, to learn what battle means. God has made nothing in vain; he especially makes nothing in the spiritual kingdom in vain. He made faith with the intent that it should be used to the utmost and exercised to the full. We must expect trial because trial is the element of faith. Faith without trial is like a diamond uncut, the brilliance of which has never been seen. A fish without water or a bird without air is faith without trial. We may surely expect that our faith will be tested.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Find freedom by fearing God.

Today’s prayer did such a great job at balancing the wonder and greatness of God, along with his love and mercy. I was reminded of a book I read last year that has been a HUGE blessing to me.

Rejoice and Tremble: The Surprising Good News of the Fear of the Lord by Michael Reeves is a beautifully helpful guide to understanding and applying the fear of the Lord.

The fear of God is a troubling and confusing phrase for many. We know that it appears all over Scripture, but we don’t know what it means. We know it means more than basic “respect” or “reverence.” But we also don’t feel right running scared from our loving Father.

Reeves shows that the fear of the Lord is not a negative fleeing from God, but a wonder-filled joy in God and all that he is. The fear of God is the path to freedom from all anxiety. When we encounter a grace that’s so stunning and scandalous, fear and trembling is the only proper response!

Reading this book filled my heart with joy and love for the God who must be feared, and I know that it will do the same for you. 

Buy Rejoice and Tremble:

• Amazon (Hardback, Kindle, or audiobook editions)
• ChristianBook.com (Hardback or ebook editions)

Get a prayer from Spurgeon in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Pray with Spurgeon newsletter for free.

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

We are bound at this time to remember our country, and we do. O God, in your great wisdom, step into this time of anxiety and dread. Oh that peace may come. By your great mercy, teach our senators wisdom. We have already prayed before you that justice might be executed upon those who have committed cruel murder;  but we do pray that no policy of vengeance may be followed by us, that we may, in a Christian spirit, seek to overcome evil with good. We are afraid that our senators have not grace enough to do it, but we pray that they may have it, and that still firmly but yet not vindictively the ship of state may be steered through these troubled waters and brought at last to a peaceful haven.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“If I had decided to say these things aloud, I would have betrayed your people.” (Psalm 73:15)

Some people have made up a kind of proverb like this: “If you think it, you may as well speak it.” But it is not so. Bad thoughts should never be spoken. If a man has evil thoughts but does not utter them, the mischief will not be so great as if he were to make them known to others.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Two FREE Purity Bible Studies for Men and Women*

Pornography and other forms of sexual immorality run RAMPANT in our world today. Even within the church, men and women are held captive by the lure of pornography.

There are some great tools available to limit your access to pornography — but what we really need to do is have our hearts purified.

Two great resources to help you along this battle are available now from HarvestUSA:

• “Discovery” is a Bible study for men stuck in sexual sin. It is gospel-centered and will help you see and address the root of your sin.
• “Jesus and Your Unwanted Journey” is a study for wives of men who are stuck in sexual sin. It will help you walk through this difficult season with compassion, honestly, and biblical truth.

These great resources are available for FREE, so I hope you’ll download them and get started today.

Get a prayer from Spurgeon in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Pray with Spurgeon newsletter for free.

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Lord, we pray another prayer, which is this: that our friends and family who do not know the believer’s joy, may learn it today. Oh that this day may be as the beginning of days. Today, may some when they hear of the plenitude of blessing which you give to your people be made to long to be among that happy number.

Create, we ask you, a soul thirst in those who are self-satisfied. Breed a sharp hunger in the hearts of those who have been content with the good things of time and sense. May they begin to long after something more enduring, more satisfying; and when you have set them longing, reveal Christ Jesus to them, and let them see how he can fill the soul with peace and joy.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.” (Psalm 37:4)

The religion of most people consists in abstaining from sins they secretly love. Negative godliness is common; it is supposed by most that our religion consists in things we must not do rather than in pleasures we may enjoy. And they suppose us to be a crabby, miserable bunch, who undoubtedly make up for denying ourselves in public by some private indulgence.

Now it is true that religion is self-denial; it is equally true that it is not self-denial. Christians have two selves. There is the old self, and there they do deny the flesh with its affections and lusts; but there is a new self, a newborn spirit, the new man in Christ Jesus. Our religion does not consist in any self-denial there. No, let it have the full swing of its wishes and desires, for all it can wish for, all it can pant after, all it can long to enjoy.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

God hears your prayers, not because you’re good enough (but because Jesus is)

Today we prayed, knowing that our only hope in prayer is that we would be covered in the righteousness of Christ. This is our only hope with which to approach God. This should give us great hope and confidence as we pray — we do not come in our own name, but in the mighty name of Jesus!

A great, refreshing book that has really helped me learn this lesson is A Praying Life by Paul Miller. This book makes clear that our only hope of acceptable prayers is the blood of Jesus.

A Praying Life is a great, encouraging book on Christian prayer. Reading this book has cultivated Scripture-saturated prayers of childlike faith in my life. Miller describes prayer in a way that is thoroughly biblical and incredible desirable.

I hope A Praying Life will help you deepen your prayer life this fall.

Buy A Praying Life:

• Amazon (Paperback, Kindle, or Audiobook editions)
• ChristianBook.com (Paperback or Ebook editions)

Get a prayer from Spurgeon in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Pray with Spurgeon newsletter for free.

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Lord, deal tenderly with your people. You are the blessed Shepherd! We have it concerning you that you “gather the lambs in your arms” and that you “gently lead those that are nursing” (Isaiah 40:11). Deal tenderly with them, and with all the flock; we pray that every child of yours may get a sweet refreshment. May there not be one of us that shall be without a smile for the Father’s face, and a kind gentle word dropped into our spirit by the Holy Spirit that shall sink all our fears and send us away happy.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“He protects his flock like a shepherd; he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them in the fold of his garment. He gently leads those that are nursing.” (Isaiah 40:11)

Jesus our Savior is here described as the Lord God. Here is divinity: not the Lord, the man of war, but the Lord, the shepherd of Israel. Here is the fire of deity, but its gentle, warming influence is felt, and the consuming force is veiled. Greatness connected to gentleness and power linked with affection now stand before us. Love and mercy are joined with omnipotence and wisdom. Such is our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the conquering captain of salvation, but he is gentle and lowly of heart as well.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

A Bedtime Blessing for Children

Whether your children are afraid of the dark or not, we should always encourage our children to trust God at bedtime (and at all times!). Why Do We Say Good Night? by Champ Thornton is a great God-glorifying book for kids.

The book, packed full with simple rhymes, beautiful illustrations, and even more beautiful gospel-centered theology, tells the story of a little girl who is a little scared to be left alone at night. Her mother offers her the good news that our great God, the one who made the night, is near, in control, and good.

This book is one of the favorites of our family. There have been seasons when we’ve read it every night before bedtime, and my wife and I would even get it out again after bedtime to pour over the beautiful illustrations and think more about the incredible message it offers.

Why Do We Say Good Night? is a fantastic book that will help your kids trust God. I hope you will grab a copy today.

Buy Why Do We Say Good Night?:

• Amazon (Hardback edition)
• ChristianBook.com (Hardback edition)

Get a prayer from Spurgeon in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Pray with Spurgeon newsletter for free.

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Now Lord, if there be any cause of anxiety upon the heart of any of your servants so that they cannot praise you upon the high-sounding cymbals, but feel bound to sit down in the dust, hear their complaints. Does an unforgiven sin lie there upon the conscience of any child of yours? Then help your dear child to confess it with his head in his Father’s bosom, and to receive full absolution. May you say, “Daughter, your sins are forgiven. Son, go in peace, your sins are forgiven.” Or, is it that we are mourning under some great grief, which perhaps has not yet happened, but the shadow of which is upon us? Give your servants great patience.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“… but he brought us from there in order to lead us in and give us the land that he swore to our ancestors.” (Deuteronomy 6:23)

We were in the land of darkness and in the valley of the shadow of death. We were fond of sin—we were slaves to it, and we had no wish or will to escape from it. But with an everlasting love God tore the heavens and in majesty came down. He brought us out and he will bring us in. If the Lord does not bring us into glory, then the precious blood of Christ has been shed in vain, and the Holy Spirit has operated on our hearts in vain. If God does not finish his work on us and in us, then people and devils will say that he began to build, but he could not finish.

Let us, therefore, trust in him, and say, “He will bring us in.” Across the Jordan we will go with our Joshua, the Lord Jesus, at our head; and we will take our possession, everyone of us, in that glorious land and stand in that day, as surely as he has brought us out.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Sexual sin CAN be defeated (but only in Christ!)*

We could never find true freedom from sexual impurity unless God himself changes our hearts and helps us to grow.

If you’re looking for a guide to help you and others uproot sexual sin and pursue purity from the inside-out, check out Discovery from HarvestUSA. This is an INCREDIBLE Bible study curricula to help men fight sexual sin.

Paul Tripp (speaker/author of the New Morning Mercies devotional) describes this resource so well: “I love this curriculum, and I will recommend it often…. It very importantly and helpfully roots change in our new identity and potential in Christ, not just in acknowledging the wrong thoughts and desires of the heart.”
Sexual sin is serious. We can’t afford to mess around with it — we need to take serious action to grow. I hope you’ll download Discovery and get started today.

Get a prayer from Spurgeon in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Pray with Spurgeon newsletter for free.

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

We bless you that we can never lose our portion. Time cannot impair it, death cannot take it from us or take us away from it. Rather, we expect death, which would destroy all mortal things, to bring us nearer to the God we love, and in our disembodied state we shall behold you more clearly than we do now. Though the worm devour this body, yet in our flesh we shall see God, whom our eyes shall see for themselves and not another. O God, we know not how to express our delight in you. You are the happy God, and you are the happy-making God.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you. In the presence of everyone you have acted for those who take refuge in you.” (Psalm 31:19)

 Is it not singular to find such a joyful sentence in connection with so much sorrow? Truly the life of faith is a miracle. When faith led David to his God, she set him singing at once. He does not tell us how great was God’s goodness, for he could not; there are no measures which can set forth the immeasurable goodness of the Lord, who is goodness itself. Holy amazement uses interjections where adjectives utterly fail. Notes of exclamation suit us when words of explanation are of no avail. If we cannot measure we can marvel; and though we may not calculate with accuracy, we can adore with fervency.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Trust the God who is able to keep you until the end

Today we prayed that God would preserve us, even as we suffer. As we pray for God to strengthen our faith, we can also fill our minds with his Word as a means to boost our faith.

A great book on growing your faith in God is Trusting God by Jerry Bridges. This book focuses on God’s sovereignty, his good control over all things, and shows that we really can trust God in any circumstance. This book is full of reasons to trust God and applies those reasons to the trials in our lives that make it particularly hard to trust God.

This book will strengthen your faith and confidence in our great God — I hope you’ll grab a copy today.

Buy Trusting God:

• Amazon (Paperback, Kindle, or audiobook edition)
• ChristianBook.com (Paperback or ebook edition)

Get a prayer from Spurgeon in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Pray with Spurgeon newsletter for free.

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Accept, this morning, the thanksgiving of some that have been sore sick, but who once again feel strength returning. Accept the thanks of others that have been far across the sea, and have come home again safely. Receive the thanksgiving of yet others who have been delivered out of great trouble, or who have seen their dear ones raised up from beds of languishing. We have all some cause for thankfulness, therefore will we praise the Lord from the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“From the rising of the sun to its setting, let the name of the LORD be praised.” (Psalm 113:3)

In hours of morning light, when the dew is on the grass, and our soul is full of gladness, and in the hours of the setting sun, when the day is weary, and the night seems coming on, still let the Lord have the praise that is his due, for he is always to be praised. There is never an hour in which it would be unseemly to praise God. For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven; but the praising of God is never out of season. All time and all eternity may be dedicated to this blessed work.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Men in your church ARE using porn. Do you know how to help them?*

64% of Christian men regularly use pornography. And that means that men YOU know are struggling — stuck in sin, filled with guilt, and not knowing how to move forward.

Are you ready to help these men?

Are you ready to help their wives?

HarvestUSA is a really great, faithful ministry that focuses on equipping YOU to minister to people struggling with their own sexual sin or suffering in the aftermath of their spouses’ sexual sin.

Harvest has put together two really incredible Bible study resources that you could start using right away to help men and women in your church.

• “Discovery” is a Bible study for men stuck in sexual sin. It is gospel-centered and will help you see and address the root of your sin.
• “Jesus and Your Unwanted Journey” is a study for wives of men who are stuck in sexual sin. It will help you walk through this difficult season with compassion, honestly, and biblical truth.

These great resources are available for FREE and they even come with a Leader’s Guide, so that you can start a small group study in your own church or home right now.

I believe that God wants to use his Word THROUGH YOU to help men and women in your life. And I know that these studies will help you along the way.

Get a prayer from Spurgeon in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Pray with Spurgeon newsletter for free.

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

O God, we know not how to express our delight in you. You are the happy God, and you are the happy-making God. You have often come to us and lifted us up out of danger and set us on our high places. You have tuned our harps. When every string was broken you came and repaired it and taught us how to sing a new song to the Lord God of our life.

Oh, that we had nothing else to do but to praise you! And truly, we have nothing else to do; but we are so slow to know this. We get full of cares and troubles and doubts and fears and sins. Lord, cleanse and purge your servants; and give us to feel that all that remains for us “Is but to love and sing and wait until the angels come to bear us to their King.”

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence and his children have a refuge.” (Proverbs 14:26)

What is this fear of the Lord? The expression is used in Scripture for all true godliness. It is constantly the short way of expressing real faith, hope, love, holiness of living, and every grace that makes up true godliness. But why was fear selected? He puts fear, because, after all, there is a something more tender, more touching, more real about fear than there is about some people’s faith.

But in speaking of fear, we must always discriminate. There is a fear with which a Christian has nothing to do. Do not be afraid of God, whatever he does with you. The kind of fear commended in the text is not such as appalls the senses, and scares the thoughts. It is a fear that has not anything like being afraid mixed with it; it is quite another kind of fear. It is what we commonly call childlike fear of God, like the child’s fear of his father.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Read Proverbs with your children

Today’s verse of the day came from Proverbs, a book that is famous for a lot of short, memorable phrases that describe how to walk in wisdom. But there’s so much more in this book. Proverbs describes a battle between two characters — the hero, Lady Wisdom, and her enemy, Lady Folly — for the hearts of young men and women.

Lady Folly is devious and our children will encounter her voice everywhere they turn. The world will call our children to sexual immorality and cheating. But Proverbs reminds us that these invitations are really invitations to death. Our children need to be taught to resist these calls and find life and wisdom at the feet of Christ.

That’s why I’ve created a new family devotional that walks through the entire book of Proverbs in five weeks. It takes less than ten minutes each day to read and discuss the book of Proverbs with your kids. And we’ll give you EVERYTHING you need (what passages to read, discussion questions, prayer points, interactive worksheets, hands-on activities, and more).

​Subscribers to GodCenteredFamily.org get UNLIMITED access to our growing library of family discipleship resources — including this new devotional through Proverbs.

So if you’re ready to teach your children how to walk in God’s wisdom, subscribe today and get started!

Get a prayer from Spurgeon in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Pray with Spurgeon newsletter for free.

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

O Lord, the God of your people, those whom you have chosen, and called, and redeemed, and saved, must and will bless your holy Name. Surely, if we were to refuse your praises, our silence would be sinful in the highest degree. We praise you, O blessed God, not only with our hearts but with our voices. Blessed be the day in which you brought us to accept you as our portion, and our heritage, for now we find in you a possession ample and wide.

There is no limit to your goodness, your riches are unsearchable. You have all good things within the compass of yourself, and you have given yourself to us according to your word, “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” We bless the Lord that our heritage is never exhausted. The world has its winter, but you hav none. Even the world’s sun has its wintry times and we only see a little above the horizon, but you are always a summer’s sun to your people, without variableness or shadow cast by turning.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)

There is variableness and there is the shadow of turning in the sun, but in that greater Father of lights there is no change in any direction; he is evermore the same, and we may go to him with unwavering confidence because he is the same. Oh! what a blessing to such changing creatures as we are to have an unchanging God!

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Our sin is almost never contained — it always causes massive pain for ourselves and others. And sexual sin is no different.

A husband’s sexual sin can be DEVASTATING for a wife. As a pastor, I’ve seen this firsthand. And yet, the hope of the gospel can even shine light on the deep suffering caused by a spouse’s sexual sin.

Jesus and Your Unwanted Journey by Ellen Mary Dykas is a new Bible study for women navigating the aftermath of their husbands’ sexual betrayal. 

This Bible study will help you think through their suffering in an honest, biblical way. Lord willing, you’ll walk away from this study with a clear understanding of yourself, your husband’s sin, God’s grace, and the path forward.

Thanks to the great people at HarvestUSA, this Bible study is available FOR FREE. I hope you’ll download it now and get started soon.