Morning, September 9, edited from Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

“Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” — Jeremiah 33:3

There are different translations of these words. One version renders it, “I will show you great and fortified things.” Another, “Great and reserved things.” Now, there are reserved and special things in Christian experience: all the developments of spiritual life are equally easy of attainment. There are the common frames of mind and feelings of repentance, and faith, and joy, and hope, which are enjoyed by the entire family of God; but there is an upper realm of rhapsody, of communion, and conscious union with Christ, which is far from being the common dwelling-place of believers. We all don’t have the high privilege of John, to lean into Jesus’ embrace; nor of Paul, to be caught up into the third heaven. There are heights in speculative knowledge of the things of God which the eagle’s eye of insight and philosophic thought have never seen: God alone can bear us there; but the chariot in which he takes us up, and the fiery steeds with which that chariot is dragged, are prevailing prayers. Prevailing prayer is victorious over the God of mercy: “Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed; He wept and sought His favor. He found Him at Bethel And there He spoke with us.” Prevailing prayer takes the Christian to Carmel with Elijah, and enables him to cover heaven with clouds of blessing, and earth with floods of mercy. Prevailing prayer bears the Christian aloft to Pisgah with Moses, and shows him the inheritance reserved; it elevates us to Tabor with the disciples and transfigures us, until in the likeness of his Lord, we become like him also in this world. If you would reach to something higher than an ordinary groveling experience, look to the Rock that is higher than you, and gaze with the eye of faith through the window of unrelenting prayer. When you open the window on your side, it will not be bolted on the other.