DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)
We give you thanks, Divine Son of God, co-eternal and co-equal with the Father. You humbled yourself to be born of a virgin. Cloaked in human form, you embraced obedience, even to death on the cross. Let an eternal diadem replace the thorns on your brow. Your sacrifice has redeemed us; to you belong glory, honor, power, majesty, dominion, and might, forever and ever!
Equally, most blessed Spirit, you who hovered over chaos and brought forth order, who gave birth to the Son of God in flesh, who ignited our spiritual life. Through your divine energy, we are sanctified and aspire to share in the inheritance of saints in light. To you, too, we offer unending hallelujahs.
Amen.
VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)
“Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God— God of my salvation— and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.” (Psalm 51:14)
Genuine penitents do not resort to euphemisms but come directly to the point, openly acknowledging their sins. What other approach is reasonable before the omniscient? He acknowledges sins more candidly in this verse, yet addresses God with greater confidence. Faith grows through the exercise of prayer.
He recognizes that only the King can remit the penalty of death, and he takes joy in the fact that God is King and the author of his salvation. He vows to sing, even with great fervor, of this righteous way of mercy. Ultimately, it’s the righteousness of divine mercy that is most wondrous.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCE
Hope for Parents of Children Wrestling with LGBT identities*
Parents, our response to our children’s sin can teach us a lot about our own hearts. And we can have a lot of confidence that God is at work for our good through these struggles. This includes our children adopting LGBT identities.
Yes, God is at work is US when our children struggle with LGBT sins.
And we need biblical guidance to explore these things, always remembering God’s mercy to us during this uniquely challenging season.
And a great resource to help parents see this is Shattered Dreams, New Hopes from Harvest USA, a free Bible study curriculum.
This resource offers grace-saturated comfort from God’s Word for parents walking through the trial of a child identifying with the LGBT community.
Here’s what to look forward to…
- Use this study in a group, one-on-one, or on your own
- Understand biblically (not just psychologically/culturally) why your child has adopted this identity
- Find compassion as you navigate this difficult season
- Discover practical guidance for moving toward your child with grace and truth (without driving them away)
- Remember the hope of Christ, powerfully working, even in the darkest of days
If you have a child struggling with an LGBT identity (or someone you know has a child like this), then PLEASE check out this free resource.