Prayer and praise are the oars by which a man may row his boat into the deep waters of the knowledge of Christ.
Interpretation
Prayer and praise are essential tools for gaining a deeper understanding of faith.
In this quote, Charles Spurgeon emphasizes the importance of prayer and praise as the means through which an individual can navigate their spiritual journey towards knowing Christ more intimately. Just as oars guide a boat through waters, these practices enable one to explore and deepen their relationship with the divine, leading to a richer, more profound understanding of their faith.
In practice
In a sermon about spiritual growth, one might use this quote to encourage the congregation to engage in regular prayer and praise.
Amusement should be used to do us good “like a medicine”: it must never be used as the food of the man...Many have had all holy thoughts and gracious resolutions stamped out by perpetual trifling. Pleasure so called is the murderer of thought. This is the age of excessive amusement: everybody craves for it, like a babe for its rattle.
When you see no present advantage, walk by faith and not by sight. Do God the honor to trust Him when it comes to matters of loss for the sake of principle.
It is far easier to fight with sin in public than to pray against it in private.
You will never glory in God till first of all God has killed your glorying in yourself.
After faith comes repentance, or, rather, repentance is faith's twin brother and is born at the same time.
["All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant."] The original Hebrew word that has been translated "paths" means "well-worn roads' or "wheel tracks," such ruts as wagons make when they go down our green roads in wet weather and sink in up to the axles. God's ways are at times like heavy wagon tracks that cut deep into our souls, yet all of them are merciful.
What one writer can make in the solitude of one room is something no power can easily destroy.
If I can only keep my good name, I shall have riches enough.
Can I give them what they think they're going to get from me? That's always the big question.
A man watches his pear tree day after day, impatient for the ripening of the fruit. Let him attempt to force the process, and he may spoil both fruit and tree. But let him patiently wait, and the ripe pear at length falls into his lap.
It took me whole decades to appreciate the depth and true value of yoga. Sacred texts supported my discoveries, but it was not they that signposted the way. What I learned through yoga, I found out through yoga.
Men of genius are far more abundant than is supposed. In fact, to appreciate thoroughly the work of what we call genius, is to possess all the genius by which the work was produced.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.