“The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar;
it shall never go out.”
- Lev_6:13
Keep the altar of private prayer burning. This is
the very life of all piety. The sanctuary and family altars borrow their fires
here, therefore let this burn well. Secret devotion is the very essence,
evidence, and barometer, of vital and experimental religion.
Burn here the fat of your sacrifices. Let your
closet seasons be, if possible, regular, frequent, and undisturbed. Effectual
prayer availeth much. Have you nothing to pray for? Let us suggest the Church,
the ministry, your own soul, your children, your relations, your neighbours,
your country, and the cause of God and truth throughout the world. Let us
examine ourselves on this important matter. Do we engage with lukewarmness in
private devotion? Is the fire of devotion burning dimly in our hearts? Do the
chariot wheels drag heavily? If so, let us be alarmed at this sign of decay.
Let us go with weeping, and ask for the Spirit of grace and of supplications.
Let us set apart special seasons for extraordinary prayer. For if this fire
should be smothered beneath the ashes of a worldly conformity, it will dim the
fire on the family altar, and lessen our influence both in the Church and in
the world.
The text will also apply to the altar of the
heart. This is a golden altar indeed. God loves to see the hearts of his people
glowing towards himself. Let us give to God our hearts, all blazing with love,
and seek his grace, that the fire may never be quenched; for it will not burn
if the Lord does not keep it burning. Many foes will attempt to extinguish it;
but if the unseen hand behind the wall pour thereon the sacred oil, it will
blaze higher and higher. Let us use texts of Scripture as fuel for our heart’s
fire, they are live coals; let us attend sermons, but above all, let us be much
alone with Jesus.
~Spurgeon's Morning Devotional
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