Spurgeon's Prayer: Learning from Israel’s History

Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.
— 1 Corinthians 10:11 (BSB)

It is not the promises of God that fail; it is our faith that fails to appropriate the promises.
— Charles Spurgeon

Lord God, we give thanks for the lessons You have left us in the story of Your ancient people, Israel. Their history is full of warnings and examples, written down for our learning. Help us, O Lord, to heed their mistakes, that we might not fall into the same traps. You are a covenant-keeping God, and Your promises never fail. We have experienced this faithfulness in our own lives: "Your promises still stand strong, confirmed by the blood of Jesus."

But just as Israel often faltered, we admit with shame that we too are fickle in our faith. There are days when we sing praises with great joy, like Miriam after crossing the Red Sea, yet soon afterward, we find ourselves grumbling about our needs and challenges. We confess that sometimes we worship You with reverence, but other times we set up idols of worldly things. Our faith can be strong one moment and then weakened by doubt the next.

Thank You, Lord, for Your patience toward us. We know we have tested Your long-suffering grace many times, and You have needed to correct us. Yet even in Your discipline, Your mercy has been evident: "Your correction is lighter than we deserve, and Your punishment less than our guilt."

O God, continue to be merciful to us. Fulfill the promise You gave through the prophet: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will put My fear in your hearts so that you will not turn away from Me." Draw us back to You whenever we stray, and keep us close, that we might walk faithfully in Your ways. Amen.