Morning, May 25

Charles Spurgeon · Morning and Evening: Daily Readings

"Forsake me not, O Lord."

  Psalm 38:21

   Frequently we pray that God would not forsake us in the hour of trial
   and temptation, but we too much forget that we have need to use this
   prayer at all times. There is no moment of our life, however holy, in
   which we can do without his constant upholding. Whether in light or in
   darkness, in communion or in temptation, we alike need the prayer,
   "Forsake me not, O Lord." "Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe." A
   little child, while learning to walk, always needs the nurse's aid. The
   ship left by the pilot drifts at once from her course. We cannot do
   without continued aid from above; let it then be your prayer today,
   "Forsake me not. Father, forsake not thy child, lest he fall by the
   hand of the enemy. Shepherd, forsake not thy lamb, lest he wander from
   the safety of the fold. Great Husbandman, forsake not thy plant, lest
   it wither and die. Forsake me not, O Lord,' now; and forsake me not at
   any moment of my life. Forsake me not in my joys, lest they absorb my
   heart. Forsake me not in my sorrows, lest I murmur against thee.
   Forsake me not in the day of my repentance, lest I lose the hope of
   pardon, and fall into despair; and forsake me not in the day of my
   strongest faith, lest faith degenerate into presumption. Forsake me
   not, for without thee I am weak, but with thee I am strong. Forsake me
   not, for my path is dangerous, and full of snares, and I cannot do
   without thy guidance. The hen forsakes not her brood; do thou then
   evermore cover me with thy feathers, and permit me under thy wings to
   find my refuge. Be not far from me, O Lord, for trouble is near, for
   there is none to help.' Leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my
   salvation!'"


   "O ever in our cleansed breast,

   Bid thine Eternal Spirit rest;

   And make our secret soul to be

   A temple pure and worthy thee."