DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)
If any among us have not yet been forgiven, Father forgive them. Oh let great love convince of sin, and lead to the sin-atoning blood. This very day may many a sinner lose the burden of his sin at the empty tomb of Christ. Oh for pardons to be freely distributed! You are the Father of pardons. “Who is God like unto you, passing by iniquity, transgression and sin, and remembering not the iniquity of the remnant of your people?” Glory be unto your name!
Amen.
VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)
“He brought them out of darkness and gloom and broke their chains apart.” (Psalm 117:14)
The Lord in providence fetches out prisoners from their cells and bids them breathe the sweet fresh air again, and then he takes off their fetters and gives liberty to their aching limbs. So also he frees men from worry and trouble, and especially from the misery and slavery of sin. This he does with his own hand, for in the experience of all the saints it is certified that there is no jail-delivery unless by the Judge himself.
He sets them free by force, so liberating them that they could not be chained again, for he had broken the manacles to pieces. The Lord’s deliverances are of the most complete and triumphant kind, he neither leaves the soul in darkness nor in bonds, nor does he permit the powers of evil again to enthral the liberated captive. What he does is done forever. Glory be to his name.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCE
A devotional to help you run from sin and cling to Christ
Today we prayed, celebrating that God has fully forgiven us of our sins by the blood of Christ. But God wants us to have confidence that our sins are forgiven, to help us know that we are forgiven of our sin by the great mercy of Christ.
One resource that’s been helpful as I’ve studied God’s Word and his promise of forgiveness is Whiter Than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy by Paul Tripp. This book features 52 short devotionals (one for every week of the year) on Psalm 51. This is an incredible resource to help you remember the horrors of your sin and the wonders of God’s amazing grace.
You could read the book over the next few months with just five minutes a day, or read one devotional each week for the next year. I can’t think of a better way to spend your time than reflecting on God’s mercy towards broken sinners like us.
I hope you’ll buy a copy and enjoy mediating on God’s unending mercy with me. I know this devotional will be a great way for you to spend your year, rooted in God’s unchanging grace.