Why God Delays in Answering Prayer

I was blessed to read this short article from Charles Spurgeon. He explains why God sometimes delays in answering prayer. Here goes… God often delays in answering prayer. We have several instances of this in sacred Scripture. Jacob did not get the blessing from the angel until near the dawn of day—he had to wrestle all night for it. The poor woman of Syrophenicia was answered not a word for a long while. Paul besought the Lord thrice that “the …

Spurgeon on Mad-Caps and Semi-Lunatics

This week I came across a sermon by Charles Spurgeon in which he preaches on the Holy Spirit as the Comforter or Helper. As he comes to his conclusion, he suddenly turns on those who approach him with a word from the Lord. I share this excerpt because it is amusingly stated and because I find it interesting that he takes so hard a line against those who speak with a message from the Lord that does not originate in …

Become a Patron

Remembering the Prince of Preachers

It was one hundred and twenty years ago today that Charles Haddon Spurgeon finished his earthly race. He was 57 years old. The life and legacy of Spurgeon is well known. He was London’s most popular preacher during the second half of the 19th century. He was passionately and thoroughly biblical and unusually gifted in his mental and oratory abilities. He was also incredibly prolific. The manuscripts of his sermons fill 63 volumes, which, according to Eric Hayden, “stands alone as the …

A Bethlehem in Your Heart

I went looking for what Charles Spurgeon believed about Christmas and was kind of amused at the energy he brought to the discussion (e.g. “the greatest absurdities under heaven…”). Suffice it to say he did not mark Christmas day. And yet he celebrated the incarnation and all it means to the believer. Here’s the opening and closing of a sermon preached on December 23, 1855. This is the season of the year when, whether we wish it or not, we …

Win A Little Piece of History

Today you’ve got a rare opportunity to own (win) a little piece of history and what must be the most unique thing I’ve given away through this site. Rare Document Traders has offered me a sermon manuscript page from a Charles Spurgeon sermon preached at the Metropolitan Tabernacle on Sunday, September 22, 1889. This is an exclusive offer to the readers of Challies.com and it won’t last long. The page is heavily amended by the Prince of preachers himself before …

Reading Biographies Together – Spurgeon (VIII)

Today we come to our final reading on the life of Spurgeon. This book has been a quick read, but an enjoyable one, I think. This week’s chapters focused on the final days of Spurgeon’s life. Much of the content consisted in tributes to the man penned after his death. This is a good way of learning about his impact on those who were closest to him and those he served the most. Perhaps the best of these tributes comes …

Reading Biographies Together – Spurgeon (VII)

Today we come to our second-to-last reading in Arnold Dallimore’s life of Charles Spurgeon. I’m grateful that some of you continue to read along with me even at this plodding pace of a couple of chapters per week. This week’s chapters focused on just two aspects of Spurgeon’s life–his writing and the so-called Down-Grade Controversy. Spurgeon was a prolific author. I’ve long been under the impression that the majority of the books published under his name were simply sermons that …

The Next Charles Spurgeon

When reading about Charles Spurgeon you will be drawn to the unavoidable conclusion that he was a unique individual. He was uniquely gifted by God and then raised up to a unique ministry. There can never be another Charles Spurgeon. I spent some time this morning pondering what is unique in Spurgeon’s background that would keep another Spurgeon from arising in our day. And I started to think about our media-saturated world. And i started to think about the character …

Reading Biographies Together – Spurgeon (II)

Today we continue reading Arnold Dallimore’s Spurgeon: A New Biography. Two weeks ago we read the first couple of chapters and, after a one-week vacation, we’re back today to look at chapters 3-6. The four chapters we read for today covered a lot of ground (which is both a benefit and a drawback of a relatively short biography). We began in the days immediately following Spurgeon’s conversion, progressed to the days where he began his very first efforts to share …

Glorious Conversion

Though I’ve read it often, I never tire of reading Charles Spurgeon’s account of his conversion. Spurgeon had been raised in a Christian home, had heard so much of God’s truth and had even begun to live in a moral and upright way. And yet he knew that he was not saved and, though he sought and sought, he could not find. Here is how God eventually found him. ***** I sometimes think I might have been in darkness and …