Charles Spurgeon

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IN GRIEF, JESUS PITIES

“For all whom the Lord has chosen and received into the society of his saints, ought to prepare themselves for a life that is hard, difficult, laborious, and full of countless griefs. It is the will of their heavenly Father to try them in this manner that he may test them. He began with Christ his firstborn son and he pursues this manner with all his children” John Calvin (ref#313, p45).

“Christ is exceedingly ready to pity us. His arms are open to receive us. He delights to receive distressed souls who come to Him and to protect them. He would gather them as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings; it is a work that He exceedingly rejoices in because He delights in act of love, and pity, and mercy” Jonathan Edwards (ref#229, p106).

“And you that are mourning over those that have been lately taken from you, Jesus pities you. Jesus wept, he sympathizes with your tears. He will dry them and give you consolation. ‘He was moved with compassion.’” Charles Spurgeon.

“Christ, ‘is inclined from his own heart and affections to give us help and relief and he is inwardly moved during our sufferings and trials with a sense and fellow-feeling of them.’” (John Owen) If you are in Christ, you have a Friend who, in your sorrow, will never lob down a pep talk from heaven. He cannot bear to hold himself at a distance. Nothing can hold him back. His heart is too bound up with yours” Dane Ortlund (ref#382, p49-50).

“Grief never ends, but it changes. It is a passage, not a place to stay. Grief is not a sign of weakness, nor a lack of faith, it is the price of love” Darcie Sims.

“Oh, what glory is brought to Jesus by a life of faith! Who can fully measure it? Taking to Him the corruption as it is discovered, the guilt as it rises, the grief as it is felt, the cross as it is experienced, the wound as it is received—indeed, simply following the example of John’s disciples, who, when their master was slain, took up his headless body, buried it, and then went and poured their grief in Jesus’ ear and laid their deep sorrow on His heart” Octavius Winslow (ref#135, July 14th).

“It is lawful to wish we were well; it is natural to groan, being burdened; but still [God] must and will take his own course with us; and, however dissatisfied with ourselves, we ought still to be thankful that he has begun his work in us, and to believe that he will also make an end. Therefore while we mourn, we should likewise rejoice; we should encourage ourselves to expect all that he has promised; and we should limit our expectations by his promises” John Newton (ref#322, p180).

“Honestly facing your lack of sovereignty over your own life produces either anxiety or relief. In all of those moments when life is out of your control, it is not out of his control” Paul David Tripp (ref#190, Mar 13th).

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VALLEYS AND MOUNTAINTOPS

“[T]he LORD who goes with you will not leave you or forsake you” (Deut 31:6 ESV).

“Can you answer this question, believer? Can you find any reason why you are so often mourning instead of rejoicing? Why yield to gloomy apprehension? Who told you that the night would never end in day? Who told you that the sea of circumstances would ebb out until there was nothing left but long, muddy stretches of horrible poverty? Who told you that the ‘winter of your discontent’ would proceed from frost to frost; from snow, ice, and hail to deeper snow and an even worse blizzard of despair? Do you not know that day follows night, that flood comes after ebb, that spring and summer follow winter? Then hope! Always hope, for God will not fail you” Charles Spurgeon (ref#34, July 21st PM).

GOD understands quite well His children’s ups and downs. “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him”(Ps 42:11 ESV).

And how can we again praise Him? By GOD’s doings—the work of His hands in our midst (Isa 29:32). No matter why I’m in the valley my FATHER is gladly obligated to continually redeem because of His oaths and promises to our father Abraham.

However, once recognizing my residence in the pit I have a choice about how long I stay. GOD will lift me to that mountain top faster if I quickly admit my dependence on Him in contriteness.

“[B]eing fallen, in our risings up again, it is Christ that must do the work, by (1) removing, or (2) weakening, or (3) suspending opposite hindrances; and (4) by advancing the power of his grace in us, to a further degree than we had before we fell” Richard Sibbes (ref#311, p113-114).

“Let us permit him to advance our salvation by a diversity of methods and not refuse to be humbled, so that he may more abundantly display his glory. Above all, let us not avoid the cross of suffering, by which the Son of God himself was trained from his earliest infancy” John Calvin (ref#164, June 7th).

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IN AFFLICTION, EMBRACE IT

“’[W]e glory in tribulations knowing that tribulation worketh patience. –Romans 5:3’” By patiently enduring suffering for His sake, saints greatly glorify their Redeemer” Octavius Winslow (ref#135, July 14th).

“The apostles are delivered so they might employ themselves in bravely preaching the gospel and courageously provoking their enemies until they valiantly die. The apostles are eventually put to death when the hand of God creases and they have finished their course. But for now the Lord opens the prison for them so they may be at liberty to fulfill their function. This is worth noting because we see many people who, having escaped out of persecution, afterward keep silence, as if they have done their duty toward God and are no more to be troubled. Others escape further duty by denying Christ. The Lord does deliver his children to the end, not that they may cease from the course that they have begun, but rather that they might afterward be more zealous” John Calvin (ref#164, July 22nd).

[B]ecause the [apostles] knew that they were to live and to die to the Lord, [they] did not refuse to do what the Lord commands. So we must always mark what function the Lord prescribes to us. We may be asked to do many things that may discouraged us, unless we are content with the commandment of God alone and do our duty, committing the success to him” John Calvin (ref#164, July 22nd).

“[W]e must always come back to this consolation: The Lord planned our sorrow, so let us submit to his will” John Calvin (ref#313, p63).

“Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD” (Ps 31:24 ESV)!

“We trust Him, and sin dies; we love Him, and grace lives; we wait for Him, and grace is strengthened; we see Him as He is, and grace is perfected forever” Charles Spurgeon (ref#34, May 31st PM).

“The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:5-7 ESV).

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IN AFFLICTION, JESUS IS WITH YOU

“My eyes will flow without ceasing, without respite, until the LORD from heaven looks down and sees” (Lam 3:49-50 ESV).

“[God] may be lost to your view, but you cannot be lost to His. The darkness of your night may veil Him from your eye, but the ‘darkness and the light are both alike’ to him (Ps 139:12). Therefore go to Him for your song. Ask Him to sanctify your sorrow by His grace, to comfort it by His Spirit, to glorify Himself in your patient endurance of it, to make you to know the reason for your trial, and to make your trial answer the mission on which it was sent, so that you will be able to raise this note of praise: ‘Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness; to the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent’ (Ps 30:11-12)” Octavius Winslow (ref#135, Sept 4th).

“How much of God’s greatness and glory in nature is concealed until the night reveal it! The sun is withdrawn, twilight disappears, and darkness robes the earth. Then appears the brilliant sky, studded and glowing with myriads of constellations. [H]ow little should we know of Jesus if it were not for the nights of mental darkness and sorrow of heart” Octavius Winslow (ref#135, Sept 4th).

“[Y]ou shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it” (Isa 30:19-21 ESV).

“Let the thought of His special love for you be a spiritual painkiller, a dear soother of your troubles. [G]rasp the divine Word with a personal, appropriating faith. Hear Jesus say to you, ‘I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32 ESV). See Him walking on the waters of your trouble, for He is there, and He is saying, “‘Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid’” (Matt 14:27 ESV). Charles Spurgeon (ref#34, Oct 21st PM).

“There is no position in which the providence of God places His saints for which the grace of Jesus is not all-sufficient, if sincerely and earnestly sought” Octavius Winslow (ref#135, July 20th).

“[You] listen to my prayers for help. [You pay] attention to me” (Ps 116:1-2 NCV).

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SUFFERING FROM HATEFUL MEN

“[We are] hated by the world so long as the race of Cains and the race of Abels continue on the earth” Charles Ross (ref#241, p137).

“I call persecution for righteousness’ sake not only when we suffer in defense of the gospel, but also when we are opposed in upholding any just cause. When we defend the truth of God over against the falsehoods, of Satan, or protect good and innocent people against injustice and injury, it may be necessary for us to incur the hatred and indignation of the world, so that our lives, our possessions, or our reputation may be endangered” John Calvin (ref#313, p56).

“John Bunyan said that believers ‘are like bells; the harder they are hit, the better they sound’” John Calvin (ref#164, Aug 20th).

“When our Lord was on earth what was the treatment He received? Were His claims acknowledged, His instruction followed, and His perfections worshipped by those whom He came to bless? Crossbearing was His occupation. They did not prize the polished gem, so why would they value the jewel in the rough” Charles Spurgeon (ref#34, Nov 10th PM)?

“We learn to glory in infirmities, to take pleasure in necessities and distresses for Christ’s sake; for ‘when I am weak, then I am strong.’ He rises above the ordinary tone in which so many Christians speak of their weakness, while they are content to abide there, because he had learnt from Christ that in the life of divine love the emptying of self and the sacrifice of our will is the surest way to have all we can wish or will. Dependence, subjection, self-sacrifice, are for the Christian as for Christ the blessed path of life. Like as Christ lived through and in the Father, even so the believer lives through and in Christ” Andrew Murray (ref#266, p149).

“[I]f God be at peace with you, it matters not who is at war with you. If Jehovah absolves, your name may be cast out as evil, you may be ranked among the vilest of the vile, your name may be a byword and a proverb, only fit to be wrought up into the drunkard’s song—but who is he that can be against you? What are all these things, if put into the balance, but lighter than vanity, if Jehovah Himself hath justified you” Charles H. Spurgeon (ref#238, p47)?

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the LORD delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned” (Ps 34:19-22 ESV).

“Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me” (Ps 86:17 ESV).

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FEAR

“[D]on’t take the pressure of forethought upon yourself. It is not only wrong to worry, it is infidelity, because worrying means that we do not think that God can look after the practical details of our lives, and it is never anything else that worries us” Oswald Chambers (ref#7, May 23rd).

“Let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread, for the LORD your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory” (Deut 20:3-4 ESV).

“God tries our faith by adversity, it follows that no one truly confides in God but he who is armed with invincible constancy for resisting the fears with which he may be assailed” John Calvin (ref#164, Feb 11th).

“Sometimes fear does not subside and one must choose to do it afraid” Elizabeth Elliot.

“If we give way to foolish fear, we will dishonor our profession of faith and lead others to doubt the reality of godliness. We ought to be afraid of being afraid, lest we vex the Holy Spirit by foolish distrust” Charles Spurgeon (ref#34, April 22nd PM).

“All the poverty and pain in the world would be powerless if the evil of it did not enter into the soul and distress it.” Charles Spurgeon (ref#310, p163).

There are two kinds of fear: paralyzing fear and energizing fear. Paralyzing fear comes to people who have no relationship with GOD when they recognize His authority over them.

Without some comprehension of GOD everything we do is a self-help project. When we are not close to GOD we become comfortable with ourselves and go about our daily business of setting goals and evaluating ourselves. But energizing fear makes us cast aside our predetermined plans and make an all-out effort to stay close to GOD. Eugene Peterson (ref#58, p30).

No wonder CHRIST’s delight was the ‘fear of the LORD’ (Isa 11:3). As Son of Man, He needed His FATHER, minute by minute; His energized fear kept Him receiving miracle after miracle that filled Him with joy as well as moved Him through His earthly life accomplishing His FATHER’s will. Energizing fear, obedience, and joy come bundled together.

“[L]et us lift up our banner in his name, and press on through every discouragement” John Newton (ref#322, p182).

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THE THREE IN THE FURNACE

“’O LORD, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. [W]e will stand and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save’” (2 Chron 20:6,9 ESV).

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up’” (Dan 3:16-18 ESV).

“There was no doubt as to God’s power to save [the three]. Yet the way in which God would work out his plan was less clear. God’s power is sometimes extended in dramatic ways to deliver his people, as when he parted the Red Sea. [A]t other times, that same power is withheld, and his people are allowed to suffer” The ESV Study Bible (ref#125, p1592).

“The Lord’s power as readily controls the rage of the wicked as the rage of the sea” Charles Spurgeon (ref#34, Aug 12th AM).

Prayer Meeting

Behold, dear Lord, we come again,

To supplicate thy grace;

We feel our leanness and our wants;

We want to see thy face.

Thou know’st, dear Lord, for what we’re come;

Each heart is known to thee.

Lord, give our burdened spirits rest,

And bid us all go free.

We’ve nothing of our own to plead,

We come just as we are;

And who can tell but God may bless,

And drive away our fear?

While one is pleading with our God,

May each one wrestle too;

And may we feel the blessing come,

And cheer us ere we go.

Then shall we sing of sovereign grace

And feel its power within;

And glory in our Surety, Christ,

Who bore our curse and sin.

For this we come, for this we plead,

In spite of every foe;

Until thou give this blessing, Lord,

We would not let thee go

D. Herbert (ref#224, song #677).

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MY REFUGE FROM AFFLICTION

“We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be” C.S. Lewis

“Even though you’re a person of faith who has acquired some degree of biblical literacy and theological knowledge, there’s one thing you can be sure of—God will confuse you. Your theology will give you only a limited ability to exegete your experiences. The commands, principles, and case studies of Scripture will take you only so far in our quest to figure out your life. There will be moments when you simply don’t understand what is going on. In fact, you will face moments when what the God who has declared himself to be good brings into your life won’t seem good. You need to remind yourself again and again of his wise and loving control, not because that will immediately make your life make sense, but because it will give you rest and peace when life doesn’t seem to make any sense” Paul David Tripp (ref#190, Jan 14th).

“[W]hatever befalls us is according to his purpose, and therefore must be right and seasonable in itself, and shall in the issue be productive of good” John Newton (ref#322, p137).

“[God] will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD” (Mal 3:3 ESV).

“[H]e disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness” (Heb 12:10 ESV).

“Nothing teaches us the preciousness of the Creator as much as when we discover the emptiness of everything else” Charles Spurgeon (ref#34, Nov 19th PM).

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever” (Phil 4:19-20 ESV).

“[I]n all circumstances meditate on the mercy and fatherly goodness of God” John Calvin (ref#313, p43).

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GOD’S CONTROL IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES

“[C]onsider those who patiently remain under their trials spiritually prosperous and fortunate. You heard of the patience of Job, how he patiently remained under the trials to which he was subjected, and you saw the consummation [of those trials] brought about by the Lord, that the Lord is compassionate and merciful” (James 5:11 Wuest).

[M]y salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed. Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear not the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their reviling” (Isa 51:6-7 ESV).

“O let my trembling soul be still,

And wait Thy wise, Thy holy will!

I cannot, Lord, Thy purpose see,

Yet all is well since ruled by Thee” Charles Spurgeon (ref#34, May 22nd AM).

“[A]lways pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1 ESV). “And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night” (Luke 18:7 ESV).

“[W]hatever God does endures forever, nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts” (Ecc 3:14,18 ESV).

“He gave us friends; in love He has removed them. In goodness He blessed us with health; in goodness He has taken it away. Yet this is the way along which He is conducting us to glory” Octavius Winslow (ref#135, Jan 31st).

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HOW GOD BRINGS ABOUT HIS PURPOSE IN AFFLICTION

[T]he whole soul, ensnared by the allurements of the flesh, seeks its happiness on the earth. To meet this disease, the Lord makes his people sensible of the vanity of the present life, by a constant proof of its miseries” John Calvin (ref#113, p465)

“He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity” (Job 36:15 ESV).

“[O]ur suffering is never purposeless, blind, unfair, or random. [I]n the midst of adversity he is working out his gracious plans for us (2 Cor 4:17-18). [T]he Savior is the only innocent one to ever suffer” Bob Kauflin (ref#199, p132).

“When difficulty exposes the weakness of your resolve and the limits of your strength, you do not have to panic, because he will endure even in those moments when you don’t feel able to do so yourself” Paul David Tripp (ref#190, Jan 12th).

“[God’s children] were kept walking humbly with [Him], and this was the secret of their safety. God can bring His servant from the loftiest height to the lowest depth of adversity, yet love him still with an unchanged and deathless affection” Octavius Winslow (ref#135, Nov 14th).

“In your distress you called and [God] rescued you, [He] answered you” (Ps 81:7 NIV).

If I don’t buffet my body GOD will do it for me through His discipline.

“Bright is the oasis that blooms in the wilderness of sand. When the Israelites provoked the Most High by their continued idolatry, He punished them by withholding both dew and rain, so that their land was visited by a sore famine. But while He did this, He took care that His own chosen ones would be secure. If all other brooks are dry, yet will there be one reserved for Elijah; and when that fails, God will still preserve for him a place of sustenance; No, not only for one, because the Lord did not have simply one ‘Elijah,’ but He had a remnant according to the election of grace, who were hidden by fifties in a cave; and though the whole land was subject to famine, yet these fifties in the cave were fed, and fed from Ahab’s table, too, by His faithful, God-fearing steward, Obadiah. Let us from this draw the inference: come what may, God’s people are safe” Charles Spurgeon (ref#34, July 6th AM).

“Great tempest, great calm; God proportions the comfort to the affliction” Pasquier Quesnel (ref#333, p225).