Evening and Morning
By Charles Haddon Spurgeon
October 29
Morning
"After
this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven,
etc."—Matthew 6:9.
This prayer begins where
all true prayer must commence, with the spirit of adoption, "Our
Father." There is no acceptable prayer until we can say, "I will
arise, and go unto my Father." This child-like spirit soon perceives the
grandeur of the Father "in heaven," and ascends to devout
adoration, "Hallowed be Thy name." The child lisping, "Abba,
Father," grows into the cherub crying, "Holy, Holy, Holy." There
is but a step from rapturous worship to the glowing missionary spirit,
which is a sure outgrowth of filial love and reverent adoration—"Thy
kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Next follows
the heartfelt expression of dependence upon God—"Give us this
day our daily bread." Being further illuminated by the Spirit, he
discovers that he is not only dependent, but sinful, hence he entreats for
mercy, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors:" and
being pardoned, having the righteousness of Christ imputed, and knowing his
acceptance with God, he humbly supplicates for holy perseverance,
"Lead us not into temptation." The man who
is really forgiven, is anxious not to offend again; the possession of
justification leads to an anxious desire for sanctification. "Forgive us
our debts," that is justification; "Lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil," that is sanctification in its negative and positive
forms. As the result of all this, there follows a triumphant ascription of
praise, "Thine is the kingdom, the power,
and the glory, for ever and ever, Amen." We rejoice that our King
reigns in providence and shall reign in grace, from the river even to the ends
of the earth, and of His dominion there shall be no end. Thus from a sense of
adoption, up to fellowship with our reigning Lord, this short model of prayer
conducts the soul. Lord, teach us thus to pray.
Evening
"But
their eyes were holden that they should not know
Him."—Luke 24:16.
The disciples ought to have
known Jesus, they had heard His voice so often, and gazed upon that marred face
so frequently, that it is wonderful they did not discover Him. Yet is it not so
with you also? You have not seen Jesus lately. You have been to His table, and
you have not met Him there. You are in a dark trouble this evening, and though
He plainly says, "It is I, be not afraid," yet you cannot discern
Him. Alas! our eyes are holden.
We know His voice; we have looked into His face; we have leaned our head upon
His bosom, and yet, though Christ is very near us, we are saying "O that I
knew where I might find Him!" We should know Jesus, for we have the
Scriptures to reflect His image, and yet how possible it is for us to open that
precious book and have no glimpse of the Wellbeloved!
Dear child of God, are you in that state? Jesus feedeth
among the lilies of the word, and you walk among those lilies, and yet you
behold Him not. He is accustomed to walk through the glades of Scripture, and
to commune with His people, as the Father did with Adam in the cool of the day,
and yet you are in the garden of Scripture, but cannot see Him, though He is
always there. And why do we not see Him? It must be ascribed in our case, as in
the disciples', to unbelief. They evidently did not expect to see Jesus, and
therefore they did not know Him. To a great extent in spiritual things we get
what we expect of the Lord. Faith alone can bring us to see Jesus. Make it your
prayer, "Lord, open Thou mine eyes, that I may see my Saviour
present with me." It is a blessed thing to want to see Him; but oh! it is better far to gaze
upon Him. To those who seek Him He is kind; but to those who find Him, beyond
expression is He dear!