Evening and Morning
By Charles Haddon Spurgeon
October 8
Morning
"Launch
out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught."—Luke 5:4.
We learn from
this narrative, the necessity of human agency. The draught of fishes was
miraculous, yet neither the fisherman nor his boat, nor his fishing tackle were ignored; but all were used to take the fishes. So in
the saving of souls, God worketh by means; and while
the present economy of grace shall stand, God will be pleased by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. When God worketh without instruments, doubtless He is glorified; but
He hath Himself selected the plan of instrumentality as being that by which He
is most magnified in the earth. Means of themselves
are utterly unavailing. "Master, we have toiled all the night and have
taken nothing." What was the reason of this? Were they not fishermen
plying their special calling? Verily, they were no raw hands; they understood
the work. Had they gone about the toil unskillfully? No. Had they lacked
industry? No, they had toiled. Had they lacked perseverance? No, they had toiled
all the night. Was there a deficiency of fish in the sea? Certainly not,
for as soon as the Master came, they swam to the net in shoals. What, then, is
the reason? Is it because there is no power in the means of themselves apart
from the presence of Jesus? "Without Him we can do nothing." But with
Christ we can do all things. Christ's presence confers success. Jesus
sat in Peter's boat, and His will, by a mysterious influence, drew the fish to
the net. When Jesus is lifted up in His Church, His presence is the Church's
power—the shout of a king is in the midst of her. "I, if I be lifted
up, will draw all men unto me." Let us go out this morning on our work of
soul fishing, looking up in faith, and around us in solemn anxiety. Let us toil
till night comes, and we shall not labour in vain,
for He who bids us let down the net, will fill it with fishes.
"Praying
in the Holy Ghost."—Jude 20.
Mark the grand
characteristic of true prayer—"In the Holy Ghost." The
seed of acceptable devotion must come from heaven's storehouse. Only the prayer which comes from God can go to God. We must shoot the
Lord's arrows back to Him. That desire which He writes upon our heart will move
His heart and bring down a blessing, but the desires of the flesh have no power
with Him.
Praying in the
Holy Ghost is praying in fervency. Cold prayers ask the Lord not to hear
them. Those who do not plead with fervency, plead not at all. As well speak of
lukewarm fire as of lukewarm prayer—it is essential that it be red hot.
It is praying perseveringly. The true suppliant gathers force as he
proceeds, and grows more fervent when God delays to answer. The longer the gate
is closed, the more vehemently does he use the knocker, and the longer the
angel lingers the more resolved is he that he will never let him go without the
blessing. Beautiful in God's sight is tearful, agonizing, unconquerable
importunity. It means praying humbly, for the Holy Spirit never puffs us
up with pride. It is His office to convince of sin, and so to bow us down in
contrition and brokenness of spirit. We shall never sing Gloria in excelsis except we pray to God De profundis: out of the depths must we cry, or we shall
never behold glory in the highest. It is loving
prayer. Prayer should be perfumed with love, saturated with love—love to
our fellow saints, and love to Christ. Moreover, it must be a prayer full of faith.
A man prevails only as he believes. The Holy Spirit is the author of faith, and
strengthens it, so that we pray believing God's promise. O that this blessed
combination of excellent graces, priceless and sweet as the spices of the
merchant, might be fragrant within us because the Holy Ghost is in our hearts!
Most blessed Comforter, exert Thy mighty power within us, helping our
infirmities in prayer.