Loving God when we can’t see him

🛐 Daily Prayer: "Let us not be dependent upon feeling, but may we always love you"

Author

SpurgeonBooks
February 14, 2025

Pray with Spurgeon

Daily Newsletter from SpurgeonBooks

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

We have to mourn that we cannot always feel intense love for you as we should. At times you reveal yourself to us so charmingly that heaven itself could scarcely be happier than the world becomes when you are with us in it. But when you are gone and we are in the dark, oh, give us the love that loves in the dark, that loves when there is no comfortable sense of your presence. Let us not be dependent upon feeling, but may we always love you, so that if you did turn your back on us by the year together we would not think less of you for you are unspeakably lovely whatever you do.

If you give us rough words, yet still we would cling to you, and if the rod of discipline be used until we tingle again yet still will we love you, for you are infinitely worthy of love from all men and angels. Make our hearts to love you forevermore. With all the capacity for love that there is in us, and with all the more that you can give us, may we love our Lord in spirit and in truth.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20)

God looked on us with an eye that saw all our sin and misery, yet he loved us. And he wants us to have a love that, while it sees all the imperfection and all the undeserving in our fellow men, still loves them. If we do not love those whom we see, the apostle says that we lie when we talk of loving God whom we have not seen.

PRAY FOR THE NATIONS

This week, we’re praying for the Razihi of Yemen.

The good news of Jesus has been revealed in order “to advance the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles” (Romans 16:26). This message has never advanced to the Razihi, so they cannot have the obedience of faith.

Pray that the Razihi would hear the gospel.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Have a Fresh Encounter with the Shocking Grace of Jesus

This week, we’ve been reflecting on our love for Jesus. Because Jesus is infinitely lovely, the best way to increase our love for Jesus is to simply see more of him — to gain a more clear and accurate picture of who he is.

A great resource to help you take a fresh look at Jesus Confronting Jesus: 9 Encounters with the Hero of the Gospels by Rebecca McLaughlin. This book will help you see the glories and compassion of Jesus with renewed clarity by highlighting stories about his life from the New Testament. This book is like a 3–D, full-color picture of Jesus, putting his character and kindness on full display. I hope you will grab a copy, because I know it will increase your joy in him.