Pray with Spurgeon

Daily Newsletter from SpurgeonBooks

In light of the New Year, when many people are making resolutions and plans to grow, this week, our prayers and Scripture readings each day will focus on growing in godliness. Next week, we’ll highlight a different theme. Invite a friend to pray with you by sending them this link.

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Lord, hear us who are your children, in whom the Spirit bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. Hear us while we bring before you our daily struggles. Blessed be your name; there are some sins which you have helped us to overcome and now they are trodden beneath our feet with many a tear that we ever should have been in bondage to them. And oh, there are rebellions within our nature still. We think that we are getting holy, and behold we discover that we are under the power of pride, that we are self-conceited about ourselves. Lord help us to master pride.

Then when we try to be humble before you we find ourselves falling into inaction. Lord, slay sloth within us, and never let us find a pillow in the doctrines of grace for ease while yet a single sin remains. Oh keep us, we beg you, Lord, for without your keeping we cannot keep ourselves.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deuteronomy 6:6–7)

The Word of God is not for some particular place called a church or a meeting-house. It is for all places, all times, and all occupations. I wish that we had more of this talking over of God’s Word when we sit by the way, or when we walk.

Editor’s Note: Fill YOUR home with God’s Word in 2025, God Centered Family is making realistic family devotionals busy families actually use. Learn more here.

PRAY FOR THE NATIONS

This week, we’re praying for the Lao Lom of Thailand.

This group of 29,000 Buddhists in Northern Thailand have never heard the gospel. There are no Christians among them.

Pray that missionaries would go to the Lao Lom with the hope of Jesus.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

In 2025, point your kids to Jesus

Every day, there are thousands of voices speaking into our children’s lives — telling them what to live for, what to love, and how to find real beauty in a broken world. As parents, we can’t leave the formation of our children’s hearts up to chance. We have to actively work to point them to Jesus.

Every Christian parent agrees with this, but most Christian parents don’t ever actually make a plan to disciple their kids.

Failure to plan is planning to fail.

We won’t consistently point our kids to Jesus if we don’t make a plan. (Because we’re just as easily distracted as they are!)

But our family discipleship plan doesn’t need to be complicated (in fact, it should NOT be complicated). That’s why I’m once again challenging parents to make a commitment before the New Year — read the Bible to your kids every day. Make 2025 a Year in the Word.

I can’t even begin to express how impactful this simple habit (10–15 minutes each day) will be on your kids (and their parents too 😉). God is at work through his Word, so let’s make his Word LOUD and prominent in our homes.

I’ve put together some free resources to help you (including six steps to actually read the Bible to your kids every day — even if you’ve never done it before) — find them right here.

Also, if you want your time in the Word to be more intentional, check out God Centered Family — my series of family devotionals that walk through the whole Bible. These family devotionals will give you everything you need to teach the whole Bible to the whole family. Lay a foundation of faithfulness in 2025 that your kids will build on for the rest of their lives. Learn more here.