Pray with Spurgeon: God, you know my pain (and you hold me)

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Lord, look upon this people for good. You know the troubles of every burdened spirit. You know how some whom you love are sick; how others have to watch over their dearest ones fading away, and withering like flowers. Lord, send comfort to the saints in trouble.

Oh, grant us grace to bear whatever your righteous will puts upon us, without complaining; and if business is going amiss, and if many things are cross to the desires of nature, may we feel it is your will, and, therefore joyfully yield to that will; nay, more, may we take a delight in being stripped, if God strip us; take a delight in smarting, if it be God who makes us smart. When you do use the chisel upon these blocks of stone, that are to be built upon the Living Stone, Lord, do not only square us, and fashion us, but separate us from the old rock to which we have been wedded so long: set us free from that hole of the pit, and let us be brought into the upper air, and built upon Christ, to lie there for ever.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials 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 1:6–7)

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

God really is at work in your suffering

Today we prayed that, through all of our trials, we would hold fast to God and stripped of any other confidence. Because you are his child, you can be confident that God is always at work in your suffering. He has never abandoned you, and he never will.

A great book testifying to this truth is Joy in the Sorrow by Matt Chandler and friends. This book features 13 testimonies about how God used suffering to strength and purify his people. One of the stories is Matt Chandler’s own story of his battle with brain cancer.

These stories are profound — they expose the depth of suffering in this fallen world, and the greatness of our hope in Christ. They’ve encouraged me and I know they’ll encourage you as well.

Buy Joy in the Sorrow: