DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)
Let us be helped, even to the end, to follow the Lamb wherever he goes, even to Gethsemane and Calvary. Oh, to be perfect in heart towards the Lord! Our lives are faulty; we see much to grieve over; but we long to have our whole heart towards your statutes; and we bless you that so it is; for our heart is in your ways, and we are willing to spend and to be spent for you. Reservation would we not make to the very slightest; but lay ourselves out for your honor only, for by us and in us, Father glorify your name!
Amen.
VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)
“Another angel, with a golden incense burner, came and stood at the altar. He was given a large amount of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar in front of the throne.” (Revelation 8:3)
Many Christians think their prayers are not heard because they are such poor things. But it is certain that every true prayer gets into the golden censer before the eternal throne of God. God has made provision for ensuring the acceptance of his people’s prayers. The “incense” offered “with the prayers of all the saints” makes our poor prayers acceptable to God—not the merit of our prayers but the power of Christ’s prevailing intercession. Jesus Christ has been appointed to the office of high priest so that he may take our supplications and present them before the throne of the Most High. No true prayer from the heart of a true child of God will miss its mark; all will reach the heavenly target.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCE
God hears your prayers, not because you’re good enough (but because Jesus is)
Today’s verse of the day shows us 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 know A Praying Life will help you deepen your prayer life — I hope you’ll buy a copy today.