August 5, 2026

“The people who know their God shall be strong.”

Daniel 11:32

From Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening — Morning, August 4

“To know God is the best form of knowledge, and spiritual knowledge is a source of strength to the Christian.” Spurgeon reminds us that it is the Holy Spirit’s work to lead believers into all truth, increasing and strengthening their faith. As we grow in the knowledge of God, every grace in the Christian life is strengthened.

Faith

Knowledge of God strengthens our faith. The more we understand who He is, the firmer the ground we stand on.

Love

It strengthens our love. The more we know Christ, the more we love Him.

Hope

It strengthens our hope. Knowledge clears away the obstacles of ignorance so we can see the glory that is to come with joyful confidence.

Patience

And it strengthens our patience.

_____

To know God intimately requires, I believe, some measure of affliction. Certainly, we can gain knowledge about God through the study of Scripture. Many do, yet never come to know Him personally. But to truly know Him, I must come to the place where I need Him.

That puts me in a difficult position. I say I want to know God, yet I naturally avoid suffering, even the smallest inconveniences, at all costs. And yet it is often in my greatest need that I learn the most about Christ. I discover His character, His faithfulness, His compassion, and His steadfast love for His children.

When I find myself in need, as I do every day, or when suffering comes, my prayer is that it would not drive me away from Jesus but draw me nearer to Him. May I see it as an invitation to know Him more deeply, and through that deeper knowledge, find my faith strengthened, my love enlarged, my hope made steadfast, and my patience refined in ways that could never have been learned through comfort alone.

Prayer

Lord, I do not ask for more affliction, more loss, or more suffering. I pray that the painful providences of this life would be few. But if, in Your sovereign wisdom, You choose to lead me through them again, do not let them drive me from You. Hold me close, and by the work of Your Holy Spirit, give me a deeper knowledge of who You are and a greater understanding of Your love for me.

Amen.