Praying for Our Children
“Bring him unto me.” -
Mark 9:19
Despairingly the poor disappointed father turned away from
the disciples to their Master. His son was in the worst possible condition, and
all means had failed, but the miserable child was soon delivered from the evil
one when the parent in faith obeyed the Lord Jesus’ word, “Bring him unto me.”
Children are a precious gift from God, but much anxiety comes with them. They
may be a great joy or a great bitterness to their parents; they may be filled
with the Spirit of God, or possessed with the spirit of evil. In all cases, the
Word of God gives us one receipt for the curing of all their ills, “Bring him
unto me.” O for more agonizing prayer on their behalf while they are yet babes!
Sin is there, let our prayers begin to attack it. Our cries for our offspring
should precede those cries which betoken their actual advent into a world of
sin. In the days of their youth we shall see sad tokens of that dumb and deaf
spirit which will neither pray aright, nor hear the voice of God in the soul,
but Jesus still commands, “Bring them unto me.” When they are grown up they may
wallow in sin and foam with enmity against God; then when our hearts are
breaking we should remember the great Physician’s words, “Bring them unto me.”
Never must we cease to pray until they cease to breathe. No case is hopeless
while Jesus lives.
The Lord sometimes suffers his people to be driven into a
corner that they may experimentally know how necessary he is to them. Ungodly
children, when they show us our own powerlessness against the depravity of
their hearts, drive us to flee to the strong for strength, and this is a great
blessing to us. Whatever our morning’s need may be, let it like a strong
current bear us to the ocean of divine love. Jesus can soon remove our sorrow,
he delights to comfort us. Let us hasten to him while he waits to meet us.
Encouraging One Another
“Encourage him.” - Deuteronomy
1:38
God employs his people to encourage one another. He did not
say to an angel, “Gabriel, my servant Joshua is about to lead my people into
Canaan-go, encourage him.” God never works needless miracles; if his purposes
can be accomplished by ordinary means, he will not use miraculous agency.
Gabriel would not have been half so well fitted for the work as Moses. A
brother’s sympathy is more precious than an angel’s embassy. The angel, swift
of wing, had better known the Master’s bidding than the people’s temper. An
angel had never experienced the hardness of the road, nor seen the fiery
serpents, nor had he led the stiff-necked multitude in the wilderness as Moses
had done. We should be glad that God usually works for man by man. It forms a
bond of brotherhood, and being mutually dependent on one another, we are fused
more completely into one family. Brethren, take the text as God’s message to
you. Labour to help others, and especially strive to encourage them. Talk
cheerily to the young and anxious enquirer, lovingly try to remove stumbling
blocks out of his way. When you find a spark of grace in the heart, kneel down
and blow it into a flame. Leave the young believer to discover the roughness of
the road by degrees, but tell him of the strength which dwells in God, of the
sureness of the promise, and of the charms of communion with Christ. Aim to
comfort the sorrowful, and to animate the desponding. Speak a word in season to
him that is weary, and encourage those who are fearful to go on their way with
gladness. God encourages you by his promises; Christ encourages you as he
points to the heaven he has won for you, and the spirit encourages you as he
works in you to will and to do of his own will and pleasure. Imitate divine
wisdom, and encourage others, according to the word of this evening.
- Charles Spurgeon's Morning & Evening Meditation for September 17th
~Brittany
A very good reminder. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteVictoria