Author: Charles Spurgeon

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

O Lord God, the great I AM, we do confess and cheerfully acknowledge that all comes from you. You have made us and not we ourselves, and the breath in our nostrils is kept there by your continued power.

We owe our sustenance, our happiness, our advancement, our ripening, our very existence entirely to you. We would bless you for all the mercies with which you surround us, for all things which our eyes see that are pleasant, which our ears hear that are agreeable, and for everything that makes existence to be life.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“Lord, I love the house where you dwell, the place where your glory resides.” (Psalm 26:8)

Into the abodes of sin the psalmist would not enter, but the house of God he had long loved, and loved it still. We would be sad children if we did not love our Father’s dwelling-place. Though we own no sacred buildings, yet the church of the living God is the house of God, and true Christians delight in her ordinances, services, and assemblies. O that all our days were Sabbaths!

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

A Beautiful Set for Spurgeon Lovers

Time spent reading Charles Spurgeon’s sermons is always time well spent. I always walk away rooted in God’s Word, encouraged by God’s gospel, and eager to walk in God’s ways.

If you want to read Spurgeon’s sermons for yourself, a great place to start is with the Spurgeon Sermon’s collection. This five book collection contains the original ten volumes of Spurgeon’s published sermons. The set looks beautiful on the shelf, but the content is even more beautiful.

Buy Spurgeon’s Sermons 5 book set

• Amazon
• ChristianBook.com

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

As you read this prayer for conversions, think about 1–2 specific non-Christians you know.

Bid those who don’t know you to come to Christ and live. O divine love, sweetly draw them. Cast the bands of love about them, and the cords of a man, and draw them to yourself. Young men and young women, yes, and old men and old women—draw them to yourself, most divine Lord; and may there be many trophies to the power of the gospel. All our prayer is now before you. We wish everybody we know to be saved. The Lord grant it, for Christ’s sake.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“…raising my voice in thanksgiving and telling about your wondrous works.” (Psalm 26:7)

God’s people should not be tongue-tied. The wonders of divine grace are enough to make the tongue of the dumb sing. God’s works of love are wondrous if we consider the unworthiness of their objects, the costliness of their method, and the glory of their result. And as men find great pleasure in discoursing upon things remarkable and astonishing, so the saints rejoice to tell of the great things which the Lord has done for them.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

A biblical foundation for parenting

Whenever a new parent asks me for recommended resources, Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp is always one of the first that comes to mind. This book lays a crucial biblical foundation for parenting from a Christian perspective. What are the parents’ responsibilities to their children, and to God?

Shepherding a Child’s Heart focuses on discipline (correcting negative behavior in your child) in a way that is biblical, practical, and encouraging. This is an empowering and valuable book for any Christian parent to read (no matter the age of your children).

Buy Shepherding a Child’s Heart:

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

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Editor’s note: Spurgeon prayed this prayer for conversions before preaching. What non-believer can you pray this for today? Will you share with them or invite them to church with you this weekend?

Lord, there are some here that have heard us many times, and yet you have not spoken to their hearts effectually. Oh, speak to them. Take them in hand, great Lord. They shall be made willing in the day of your power. Oh, that this might be the day of your power!

There are others who are quite strangers to this house, and perhaps to the gospel. May the new note strike them. From the silver cornet of the gospel may there come to them a sound unknown before, which shall reach their very soul; and may they answer to it. Bid them come to Christ and live. O divine love, sweetly draw them.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“…raising my voice in thanksgiving and telling about your wondrous works.” (Psalm 26:7)

David was so far instructed that he does not mention the typical offering, but discerns the spiritual offering which was intended thereby, not the groans of bullocks, but songs of gratitude the spiritual worshipper presents. To sound abroad the worthy praises of the God of all grace should be the every-day business of a pardoned sinner. Let men slander us as they will, let us not defraud the Lord of his praises; let dogs bark, but let us like the moon shine on.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

What does “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” mean?

Last week, I recommended the book Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund. This book is back in stock after being unavailable for several months. It really is one of the sweetest, most helpful books I’ve read, so I want to encourage you to grab a copy while you can.

Here’s another excerpt from the book, where Ortlund explains what Christ meant when he said “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28):

“The word translated ‘easy’ in his statement, ‘My yoke is easy,’ needs to be carefully understood. Jesus is not saying life is free of pain or hardship. This is the same word elsewhere translated ‘kind…’

“Jesus is using a kind of irony, saying that the yoke laid on his disciples is a nonyoke. For it is a yoke of kindness. Who could resist this? It’s like telling a drowning man that he must put on the burden of a life preserver…

“His yoke is kind and his burden is light. That is, his yoke is a nonyoke, and his burden is a nonburden. What helium does to a balloon, Jesus’s yoke does to his followers. We are buoyed along in life by his endless gentleness and supremely accessible lowliness.”

Buy Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers:

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

Lord, bless your people. O my Lord, bless and prosper my dear friends. Let those that fear your name be happy in you. May those who are truly yours, have a joyous and happy season. May they rejoice in the great love of God, and feel their souls overflow with delight at their remembrance of it.

But, oh, we beseech you, especially, save souls. May many, many, many be brought out of darkness into marvelous light, and delivered from the prison-house into the liberty of Christ.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, Lord,” (Psalm 26:6)

Priests unto God must take great care to be personally cleansed; the brazen laver was as needful as the golden altar; God’s worship requires us to be holy in life. He who is unjust to man cannot be acceptably religious towards God. We must not bring our thankofferings with hands defiled with guilt. To love justice and purity is far more acceptable to God than ten thousands of the fat of fed beasts.

We see from this verse that holy minds delight in the worship of the Lord, and find their sweetest solace at his altar; and that it is their deepest concern never to enter upon any course of action which would unfit them for the most sacred communion with God. Our eye must be upon the altar which sanctifies both the giver and the gift, yet we must never draw from the atoning sacrifice an excuse for sin, but rather find in it a most convincing argument for holiness.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Show your children Jesus: The light of the world

Earlier this week, I recommended The Bright Light and the Super Scary Darkness, a new children’s book by Dan DeWitt. This book isn’t just about being afraid of the dark — this book is about how Jesus came as the light, to fix all of the darkness that sin had stretched over the world.

DeWitt tells the story of Scripture, tracing the theme of light and darkness throughout. When it seems like the darkness had won, when the light of the world was crucified and buried, the light shone brighter than ever before:

“The darkness is afraid of the light. The darkness isn’t super scary, the darkness is a scaredy-cat!
After three days, the darkness started trembling with fear. Then it took off running as fast as it could go. The light of the world had risen. The darkness had lost. Jesus was alive!”

Buy The Bright Light and the Super Scary Darkness:

• Amazon
• ChristianBook.com

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

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

The Lord is a great sin-pardoning God. There is none like him, passing by transgression, iniquity, and sin; and, for Jesus’ sake, receiving the vilest of the vile to his bosom, and casting out none that come unto him; taking up even the blasphemer and the drunkard, yea, the very worst, and washing even these from their crimson sins, and making them whiter than newly-fallen snow.

O Lord, we sometimes wish that we could sing like cherubim and seraphim. Then would we praise you better. But as it is, human voices are all we have, but they shall be used to the praise of “free grace and dying love,” to which we owe all that we have, and all we ever hope to have.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, Lord,” (Psalm 26:6)

David would publicly avow himself to be altogether clear of the accusations laid against him, and if any fault in other matters could be truthfully alleged against him, he would for the future abstain from it. The washing of the hands is a significant action to set forth our having no connection with a deed, as we still say, “I wash my hands of the whole business.”

As to perfect innocence, David does not here claim it, but he avows his innocence of the crimes whereof he was slanderously accused; there is, however, a sense in which we may be washed in absolute innocence, for the atoning blood makes us clean everywhere. We ought never to rest satisfied short of a full persuasion of our complete cleansing by Jesus’ precious blood.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Who was Spurgeon anyway?

Whether you’re a lifetime fan of Spurgeon, or if you’ve just seen some neat quotes on Instagram, you will benefit from reading a good biography of Spurgeon. One of the best is Spurgeon: A New Biography by Arnold A. Dallimore.

As you read the story of Spurgeon’s life, you’ll be excited by the fruitfulness of his ministry, exhorted by his faithfulness, encouraged by his endurance under severe trials, and more.

Read the story of Spurgeon’s great life and be amazed at Spurgeon’s great God. I know it will encourage you.

Buy Spurgeon: A New Biography:

• Amazon
• ChristianBook.com

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

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

When we saw that Jesus died that we might live, that the cross was the best proof of divine affection, then we looked to Jesus suffering in our stead. We trusted in the great atonement, and we found a peace. Oh, what shall we say of it? Our very soul sings at the remembrance of the peace which has never been taken from us.

Many days have passed since first we knew it, and many changes we have seen, but we have never lost our hold on Christ; nor has he ever lost his hold of us; and here we are still, to weep to the praise of the mercy that we have found, and to tell to others, as we have breath to speak, that the Lord is a great sin-pardoning God.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“I hate a crowd of evildoers, and I do not sit with the wicked.” (Psalm 26:5)

Saints have a seat at another table, and will never leave the King’s dainties for the husks of the swine-trough. Better to sit with the blind, and the halt, and the lame, at the table of mercy, than with the wicked in their feasts of ungodliness. Yea, better to sit on Job’s dunghill than on Pharaoh’s throne. Let each reader see well to his company, for such as we keep in this world, we are likely to keep in the next.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

A New Book to Help Kids Trust God in the Dark

Whether your child is afraid of the dark or not, we all have reason to be afraid of the darkness of sin that stains our world. I’m thankful for a new kid’s book, The Bright Light and the Super Scary Darkness by Dan DeWitt.

The Bright Light shows how the big story of the Bible offers hope to all of our fears — because Christ came to shine light into our darkness.

This is a great book to help kids understand why they’re afraid, and why they can trust God in the midst of any kind of darkness.

Buy The Bright Light and the Super Scary Darkness:

• Amazon ($11.93)
• ChristianBook.com ($9.99)

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

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

God, you are ready to hear us, willing to listen to our cries. But, Lord, at the first, this great discovery caused us much pain, for we found in our hearts an enmity to you, a natural alienation; and we found that we had grieved you, that we had vexed your spirit by sin. We admire you all the more for this, for we would not care for a God who did not hate sin. Oh, with what reverence we fell at your feet, even when we heard you speak in tones of thunder, and say, “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20).

When your grace had really made us to know you, your justice, terrible as it was, had our submissive reverence. We felt that, if our souls were sent to hell, righteousness and justice would approve it well. O God, we remember how we lay at your feet. Our thoughts were as a case of knives cutting our hearts; and then you came to us, and made known your love. O blessed day in which you revealed yourself dressed in the silken robes of love!

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“I hate a crowd of evildoers, and I do not sit with the wicked.” (Psalm 26:5)

A severe sentence, but not too severe. A man who does not hate evil terribly, does not love good heartily. Men, as men, we must always love, for they are our neighbors, and therefore to be loved as ourselves; but evildoers, as such, are traitors to the Great King, and no loyal subject can love traitors. What God hates we must hate. The congregation or assembly of evil doers, signifies violent men in alliance and conclave for the overthrow of the innocent; such synagogues of Satan are to be held in abhorrence.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

An incredible testimony of God’s grace to help you hate sin.

God hates sin and loves righteousness, and he’s calling us to think the same way. One of the books that has been most helpful to help me cultivate a hatred for sin and a love for righteousness is Gay Girl, Good God by Jackie Hill Perry.

This book is a memoir describing Jackie’s journey out of sin, by grace. It’s an absolutely beautiful story of God’s power and mercy to save.

One of the things I love the most about this book is how its rich theology is described so beautifully. Jackie paints a picture of a God who is worthy of our worship, faith, and obedience — a God who is better than sin.

Buy Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was, and Who God Has Always Been:

• 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)

Glorious God, there are many of us who can bless you that we know you. There was a time when we lived in your world, but had never known the Creator. We were partakers of your providence, but we did not know the Provider. We went up and down in the sunlight, but we were blind. There were voices all around us, but we were deaf to all things spiritual.

Some of us lived in this way for years. It was a happy day for us when, in the infinite sovereignty of your love, you looked upon us and call us by your grace. Then did the dead heart begin to beat. Then did light enter the darkened eye, and then we turned to you. It was the best discovery we had ever made, when we found that there was, after all, a God, ready to hear us, willing to listen to our cries. 

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“I do not sit with the worthless or associate with hypocrites.” (Psalm 26:4)

Since I know that hypocritical piety is double iniquity, I will cease all acquaintance with pretenders. If I must needs walk the same street, I will not enter the same door and spend my time in their society. The congregation of the hypocrites is not one with which we should cultivate communion; their ultimate rendezvous will be the lowest pit of hell, let us drop their acquaintance now, for we shall not desire it soon.

Those who would be transfigured with Jesus, must not be disfigured, by conformity to the world. The resolution of the Psalmist suggests, that even among professed followers of truth we must make distinctions, for as there are vain persons out of the church, so there are dissemblers in it, and both are to be shunned with scrupulous decision.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

See God’s light in your darkest days.

The Bible is full of wisdom to help us endure all trials and temptations by grace. Spurgeon is an excellent God-given guide to help us begin to plumb the depths of the biblical teaching on suffering.

I’ve created a collection of some of Spurgeon’s best sermons on trials and tribulations and compiled them into a book called Spurgeon on Suffering: Reflections on Our Pain and God’s Grace.

Reading these sermons has encouraged me to set my hope in the risen Christ, even in the darkest days and deepest trials. I hope it will encourage you as well.

Buy Spurgeon on Suffering on Amazon in paperback or Kindle formats.

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

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Oh! Lord, revive your work we pray thee. We are feeble and weak; we can do nothing. But come yourself and achieve triumphs, and let victories be won. Come and break the hard heart, and subdue the stubborn will. Lord, save the unsaved.

Be pleased to awaken those who are dead in sin. Let the vessels of mercy whom you have chosen out of the mass of mankind of your sovereign good pleasure be filled with mercy until they overflow with gratitude and joy.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“I do not sit with the worthless or associate with hypocrites.” (Psalm 26:4)

True citizens have no dealings with traitors. David had no seat in the parliament of triflers. They were not his boon companions at feasts, nor his advisers in council, nor his associates in conversation. We must see, and speak, and trade, with men of the world, but we must on no account take our rest and solace in their empty society.

Not only the profane, but the vain are to be shunned by us. All those who live for this life only are vain, chaffy, frothy men, quite unworthy of a Christian’s friendship. Moreover, as this vanity is often allied with falsehood, it is well to save ourselves altogether from this untoward generation, lest we should be led from bad to worse, and from tolerating the vain, should come to admire the wicked.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

In your weakness, rely on God’s strength

As today’s prayer makes clear, we must depend on God’s strength in every area of our lives. This is especially true in the midst of trials and suffering.

Spurgeon was no stranger to suffering. He was plagued with physical and mental illness for most of his life, which led to his early death at the age of 58. In the crucible of suffering, Spurgeon learned much about the glory of God’s power.

We have a lot to learn from Spurgeon, which is why I’ve compiled a new book of Spurgeon’s classic sermons on enduring trials with Christ-centered hope. The book is called Spurgeon on Suffering: Reflections on Our Pain and God’s Grace. Reading these sermons has filled me with hope and I hope they will encourage you as well.

Buy Spurgeon on Suffering on Amazon in paperback or Kindle formats.

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

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Father, bless those that do not know you. We pray that we may have in our own hearts much of the heaviness that Paul knew, when we think of the many ungodly ones, especially of those that are of our own kith and kin, are still unconverted. Oh, bring them in!

Dear Father, there are many of us praying now from the bottom of our hearts, that all our children may be your children, and that all related to us may be of the family of Christ. Then, Lord, we thank you for that blessed word, “For the promise is for you and for your children;” but you did not stop there, for you have said, “and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39) Lord, bring in the far-off ones. Save poor fallen women: save the equally fallen men.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“I do not sit with the worthless or associate with hypocrites.” (Psalm 26:4)

So far from being himself an open offender against the laws of God, the Psalmist had not even associated with the lovers of evil. He had kept aloof from the men of Belial.

A man is known by his company, and if we have kept ourselves apart from the wicked, it will always be evidence in our favor should our character be impugned. He who was never in the field is not likely to have stolen the corn. He who never went to sea is clearly not the man who scuttled the ship.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

God’s grace to you really doesn’t have any limits. Really.

Yesterday I recommended the book Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund. I wanted to share one of my favorite excerpts from the book:

“Is it not presumptuous audacity to draw on the mercy of Christ in an unfiltered way? Shouldn’t we be measured and reasonable, careful not to pull too much on him?

“Would a father with a suffocating child want his child to draw on the oxygen tank in a measured, reasonable way?

“Our trouble is that we do not take the Scripture seriously when it speaks of us as Christ’s body. Christ is the head; we are his own body parts. How does a head feel about his own flesh? Jesus Christ is comforted when you draw from the riches of his atoning work, because his own body is getting healed.“

You need this book. It’s such an incredible gift.
It’s been out of stock for several months but it’s finally available again. Grab a copy now (while you still can!)

Buy Gentle and Lowly:

• Amazon (Hardcover or Kindle edition)
• ChristianBook.com (Hardcover or ebook edition)