DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)
Look upon each of us now. There are so many families that have been bereaved, that we pray for all. You take away a mother here; you take away a husband there; you remove a child there; you are smiting on the right hand and on the left. We would kiss the rod and the hand that wields it, but we pray that the richest consolation may be given, especially, to those who through years and infirmities suffer much.
We pray that richer consolation than usual may be given where most it is required. Sanctify their bereavements. May the whole of the flock feel that when the Shepherd is taking away one after another, it is time for us to be ready for his coming.
Amen.
VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)
“Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to people.” (Ephesians 6:7)
Our work for Jesus must be the outgrowth of the soil of the heart. Our service must not be performed as a matter of routine. There must be vigor, power, freshness, reality, eagerness, and warmth about it; or it will be good for nothing. No fish ever came upon God’s altar because it could not come there alive. The Lord wants none of our dead, heartless worship.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCE
The only way to make sense of our suffering
Today we prayed that God would comfort us in our suffering. And we definitely need his comfort, because our world is full of suffering. I believe that Christianity offers the only logical explanation for all of the suffering that we face in this world. And the Bible doesn’t just offer a reasonable explanation of these things — the Bible offers a hopeful, gospel-saturated explanation of our world.
A great book on this topic is Jesus or Nothing by Dan DeWitt. The book presents Christianity as the only reliable and hopeful alternative to atheism. This book will surely deepen your faith and help you defend it against skeptics and atheists.
But, maybe more importantly, the book will fill you up with joy that the real God who really did create the world, really did launch a loving plan to save you. And that’s really good news.