Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

August 19– Evening

by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and edited by W. C. Neff

“Pull me out of the net they have secretly prepared for me, for you are my strength.”

—Psalm 31:4

Our spiritual foes are of the serpent’s family, and they seek to ensnare us with subtlety. This prayer holds forth the possibility of the believer being caught like a bird in a net. When the fowler does his work well, unsuspecting birds are soon surrounded by nets.

Satan lays traps for us, but the Lord can deliver us even from them. So, this is a practical petition and one which can be granted! From between the jaws of the lion and out of the belly of hell, eternal love can rescue the saint. It may need a sharp tug to save a soul from the net of temptation or a mighty pull to free a man from the snares of malicious cunning, but the Lord is equal to every emergency. The most skillfully placed nets of the hunter will never be able to hold God’s chosen ones. May misery come to those who are clever at net laying! Those who tempt others will be destroyed themselves.

The Psalmist says, “For You, Lord, are my strength.” What an inexpressible sweetness is to be found in these few words! How joyfully may we encounter toils, and how cheerfully may we endure sufferings, when we lay hold upon heavenly strength. Divine power will destroy the works of our enemies, confound their politics, and frustrate their tactics. He is a happy man who has matchless might engaged on his side. Our own strength would do us little good when we are embarrassed in the nets of cleverness, but the Lord’s strength is always available; we only need to call for it, and we will find it to be close at hand. If by faith we are depending alone on the strength of the mighty God of Israel, our holy reliance will be the foundation of our prayerful petition.

“Lord, evermore your face we seek;

Tempted we are and poor and weak;

Keep us with lowly hearts, and meek.

Don’t let us fall. Don’t let us fall.” [M&E]