DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)
Bless our country, we pray, and we lift up again the voice of earnest prayer that peace may not be broken. Oh, let not bloodshed break forth in the midst of the continent; but may it please you to send wisdom to the councils of all nations, that by some means such a dreadful calamity may be avoided; and may he come who will end all danger of war, even the Prince of Peace himself, in whose days shall the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace so long as the moon endures. The Lord hear us now; and forgive, and answer, and bless, according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus: and unto Israel’s one God, revealed to us in the Trinity of Mystic Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, be glory by Christ Jesus.
Amen.
VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)
“I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
Paul here meant that he could endure all trials. It matters not what suffering his persecutors might put upon him, he felt that he was quite able, through divine grace, to bear it. He daily expected that he might be led out to die, and the daily expectation of death is bitterer than death itself. He was ready to be offered up, and made a sacrifice for his Master’s cause. Every child of God, by faith, may say, “I am able to do all things.”
RECOMMENDED RESOURCE
How Christ offers hope in the darkest valleys
Today was prayed for an end to war. This has become an urgent request over the last few months, as we’ve seen chaos unfold in Ukraine. It’s been increasingly obvious that we live in a world that is broken and we need Christ to redeem us.
I love the book Christ and Calamity: Grace and Gratitude in the Darkest Valley by Harold L. Senkbeil. This book offers simple, short, biblical devotions to help you grapple with suffering in your own life and in the world with the hope of God.
Christ does not run from your suffering — he runs towards you with hope and compassion, ready and able to help you and sustain you.