on the shoulders of giants…
running the race with the help of a few good menas good as dead
Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not Thyself from my supplication. Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise…My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. Psalm 55:1, 2 & 4
Spurgeon tells us that David’s spirit writhed in agony…he was mentally as much in pain as a woman in travail [is] physically. His inmost soul was touched; and a wounded spirit who can bear?…Mortal fears seized him, he felt like one suddenly surrounded with the glooms of the shadow of death, upon whom the eternal night suddenly descends. Within and without he was afflicted…He gave himself up for lost [and] felt that he was as good as dead…Think of our Lord in the garden, with His “soul exceeding sorrowful even unto death” and you have a parallel to the griefs of the psalmist. Spurgeon ends with an exhortation that I fear is too rare these days: Perchance, dear reader, if as yet thou hast not trodden this gloomy way, thou wilt do soon; then be sure to mark the footprints of thy Lord in this miry part of the road.
I seldom hear preached the necessity of preparing for one’s own death even though we may be called to walk that vale far sooner than we hope. Can we postpone the day by pretending that it will never come? David asks of our LORD, “make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; let me know how transient [frail] I am” (Psalm 39:4). Matthew Henry comments on the preceding verse that even [i]n our greatest health and prosperity, every man is altogether vanity, he cannot live long; he may die soon. This is an undoubted truth, but we are very unwilling to believe it. Therefore let us pray that God would enlighten our minds by his Holy Spirit, and fill our hearts with his grace, that we may be ready for death every day and hour.
Prayer
Jehovah-Shalom (the LORD, our Peace), whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none on earth that I desire beside Thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever. When You call me to walk through the shadows of my death, I pray that You would grant me grace to sustain my faith and remembrance of Christ Jesus, my LORD, who walked the same steps before me so that I may spend eternity worshiping You and enjoying the Light of Your Countenance. Teach me to number my days so that I might leave this world knowing that I have walked in the Way of Wisdom and shown Your love to all. In and through Christ I pray. Amen.
the olive tree
But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I will trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. Psalm 52:8
The olive tree, so a beloved professor of mine instructs, is a Biblical symbol of Israel (and therefore, the Church). Spurgeon writes: …[the] olive…draws oil out of the rock and, amid the drought, still lives and grows…bearing fruit…when all his enemies were withered like branches lopped from the tree.
Prayer:
Thank You, most gracious Father, for planting me firmly in my Rock, Jesus Christ. The oil that I draw from Him is Your Holy Spirit, who gives me life and strength to serve You. I pray that I might bear much fruit for You in this life, serving You all my days. In Christ I pray. Amen.
hope in a suffering day
2 Corinthians 4:13-14 (KJV)
We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
Matthew Henry comments: The grace of faith is a sovereign and effectual antidote against fainting fits in troublesome times. The spirit of faith will go far to bear up the spirit of a man under his infirmities. As we receive help and encouragement from the good words and example of others, so we should be careful to give a good example to others…The hope of the resurrection will encourage us in a suffering day and set us above the fear of death: for what reason has a good Christian to fear death that dies in hope of a joyful resurrection?
Prayer
Gracious Father, thank You for the trials that send me back to the Cross and the Empty Tomb for hope. If this world was all You created me for, I would be a most miserable creature. Knowing that I have eternity in Your Presence makes the suffering days of this world bearable. I pray that Your Spirit would continue to uphold my spirit during troublesome times. Through Christ I pray. Amen.
a broken and contrite heart
For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart–
These, O God, You will not despise.
Psalm 51:16, 17
Spurgeon writes in his commentary on this Psalm: All sacrifices are presented to You in One, by the man whose broken heart presents the Savior’s merit to You. When the heart mourns for sin, You are better pleased than when the bullock bleeds beneath the axe. “A broken heart” is an expression implying deep sorrow, embittering life itself, it carries the idea of all but killing anguish in that most vital of human organs. So excellent is a spirit humbled and mourning for sin that it is not only a sacrifice, but also a plurality of excellencies and preeminently, God’s sacrifices.
How often am I actually broken by my sin? Sadly, it is not often enough. Even when I am aware of sin in my life, I forget that first, and foremost, it is sin against a holy and righteous God. I tend to view my sin in terms of how it affects my terrestrial relationships, forgetting that even my smallest sin is enough to separate me from my God FOREVER. Thankfully, there is One who never sinned, who “always lives to make intercession” for me. Were it not for Him, I would most certainly suffer the fires of hell, and rightly so, for all eternity.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, make me truly sorry for my sins because they separate me from You. Break my heart over offending You, and send me running to the Cross, for it is there that I find my Salvation. In Christ I pray. Amen.
