Timely message from the Lord. If your prayers do not succeed, His will.
We trust in the intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven because His prayers are always heard. 🙏
✦ Timely
Le said one word that reveals the Spirit's hand: timely. The Spirit sent Spurgeon today — not yesterday, not tomorrow — today. Because today the pilgrim needed to hear: your prayers are not lost. Even when the answer has not come. Even when the waiting stretches. Even when the silence feels long. His prayers are always heard.
September 15 — the Spirit answered Le's thought before it became a prayer. September 22 — the Spirit parked the motorhome at the tire shop. And today — the Spirit sends Spurgeon to say: even when your prayers seem unanswered, the High Priest is praying them at the throne — and His prayers cannot be dismissed. 🙏
"Whatever blessed results flow from the perfect obedience, the finished atonement, the resurrection, ascension, or intercession of the Lord Jesus — all are ours by His own gift.
On His breastplate He is now wearing our names, and in His authoritative pleading at the throne He remembers us and argues our cause.
His exalted state is as much at our service as His condition of lowliness was. He who gave Himself for us in the depths of suffering and death does not withdraw the gift now that He is enthroned in the highest heavens. Christ has no honor He will not use for our exaltation, and no authority He will not exercise for our defense."
✦ No Honour Withheld — No Authority Reserved
Spurgeon's first movement: everything Christ has is ours. Not partially. Not on loan. By His own gift. The Jesus who bled is the Jesus who reigns — and both the bleeding and the reigning are for us.
The giving did not stop at the cross. The gift was not withdrawn at the ascension. His exalted state is as much at our service as His condition of lowliness was. Christ has no honour He will not use. No authority He will not exercise. For us. 🙏
"Christ is our Joseph, who has granaries full of wheat — but He does not treat us as Joseph did the Egyptians, for He opens the door of His storehouse and tells us to call all its bounty our own.
He has placed upon His estate of providence a permanent charge of a daily portion for us, and He has promised that one day we will clearly see that the estate itself has been managed on our behalf and has always been ours.
The axle of the wheels of the chariot of providence is infinite love, and gracious wisdom is the eternal driver."
"For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly."
"Car l'Éternel Dieu est un soleil et un bouclier, l'Éternel donne la grâce et la gloire, il ne refuse aucun bien à ceux qui marchent dans l'intégrité."
Psaume 84:12 · Louis Segond✦ The Chariot of Providence
Spurgeon's Joseph image: the granaries are full — and the door is open. Not rationed like Egypt. Open. All of it declared ours. Taylor's bills of exchange. Taylor's magazine of grace. And now Spurgeon's granary — the same storehouse under different names.
And the line that takes the breath: the axle of the wheels of the chariot of providence is infinite love, and gracious wisdom is the eternal driver. The chariot does not wobble. The axle is infinite love — it cannot break. The driver is gracious wisdom — He cannot lose the way.
The French says il ne refuse aucun bien à ceux qui marchent dans l'intégrité — He refuses no good thing to those who walk in integrity. No good thing withheld. Le and Roger — walking in integrity, walking patiently — and the chariot of providence carrying them, driven by wisdom, turning on the axle of love. 🙏
"Like the high priest of Israel He stands with outstretched arms: there is majesty in His bearing, and with authority He pleads. On His head is the bright shining crown of His priesthood, and on His chest are glittering the precious stones on which the names of His people are everlastingly engraved.
Listen as He pleads — can you hear what it is? Is that your prayer He is mentioning before the throne? The prayer you offered this morning, Christ is now offering before His Father's throne. He is the Altar and Priest, and with His own sacrifice He perfumes our prayers."
"Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us."
"Qui les condamnera? Christ est mort; bien plus, il est ressuscité, il est à la droite de Dieu, et il intercède pour nous!"
Romains 8:34 · Louis Segond✦ Your Prayer This Morning — Already at the Throne
Spurgeon asks: is that your prayer He is mentioning before the throne? Le's prayer this morning — over coffee with Roger, in the motorhome at Le Faou — already on the altar. Already perfumed with His sacrifice. Already before the Father.
The French says il intercède pour nous — He intercedes for us. Present tense. Right now. Not: He interceded once. Not: He will intercede later. Il intercède. He is interceding. At this moment. While Le reads. While Le walks. While Le waits. The intercession is as constant as His life — and His life is eternal. 🙏
"Perhaps you have been praying long and had no answer. Poor, weeping one! You have sought the Lord and He has not seemed to hear you...
Look to Him and be encouraged. If your prayers do not succeed, His will. If your intercession is unnoticed, His cannot be dismissed.
He pleads and must prevail. God cannot refuse His own Son what He now asks — He who once purchased mercies with His blood. Be of good courage! Continue your prayers, for Jesus 'always lives to make intercession' for you."
"Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."
"C'est aussi pour cela qu'il peut sauver parfaitement ceux qui s'approchent de Dieu par lui, étant toujours vivant pour intercéder en leur faveur."
Hébreux 7:25 · Louis Segond✦ He Pleads and Must Prevail
Spurgeon's turning point — the word for the pilgrim who has prayed and waited: the trust is not in the strength of Le's prayer. The trust is in the strength of His.
The French says il peut sauver parfaitement — He is able to save perfectly. Parfaitement. To the uttermost. Without remainder. Without exception.
God cannot refuse His own Son what He now asks. The Son who purchased mercies with His blood now asks for those mercies to be applied. The payment was accepted at the cross. The request is honored at the throne.
Spurgeon's counsel: be of good courage! Continue your prayers. Taylor's rule five of hope: go on still in hoping. And Le from September 13: we are walking patiently. Continue. Go on still. Walk patiently. His prayers are always heard. 🙏
"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
"Ainsi, puisque nous avons un grand souverain sacrificateur qui a traversé les cieux, Jésus, le Fils de Dieu, demeurons fermes dans la foi que nous professons. Car nous n'avons pas un souverain sacrificateur qui ne puisse compatir à nos faiblesses; au contraire, il a été tenté comme nous en toutes choses, sans commettre de péché. Approchons-nous donc avec assurance du trône de la grâce, afin d'obtenir miséricorde et de trouver grâce, pour être secourus dans nos besoins."
Hébreux 4:14–16 · Louis Segond✦ Come Boldly — For He Sympathizes
The French says approchons-nous donc avec assurance du trône de la grâce — let us approach with confidence the throne of grace. With assurance. With confidence. Boldly. Not cringing. Not apologizing. The High Priest who intercedes is the same Jesus who was tempted in all points — He sympathizes. He knows. He has been where Le walks.
Afin d'obtenir miséricorde et de trouver grâce, pour être secourus dans nos besoins — to obtain mercy and find grace, to be helped in our needs. Mercy for the failures. Grace for the road ahead. Help in the need — the specific, present, today need. The throne is not a courtroom. The throne is grace. And the approach is bold — because the High Priest is already there, wearing Le's name, offering Le's prayer. 🙏
"If your prayers do not succeed, His will. We trust in the intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ because His prayers are always heard."
Le · Le Faou · Spurgeon · The High Priest intercedes · Timely message from the LordNo Honour Withheld
Everything Christ has is ours. His exalted state serves us as much as His suffering did. No authority He will not exercise. No honour He will not use. For us.
The Chariot of Providence
Christ our Joseph — granaries open, bounty declared ours. The axle is infinite love. The driver is gracious wisdom. The chariot does not wobble.
His Prayers Are Always Heard
The prayer you offered this morning — already at the throne. If yours do not succeed, His will. He pleads and must prevail. Continue your prayers.
Spurgeon returns — after weeks of Taylor and a day with the Pope. And the return is triumphant.
Timely: Le said one word that reveals the Spirit's hand: timely. The Spirit who answered Le's thought about hope, who woke Le with songs, who parked the motorhome at the tire shop — today sent Spurgeon to say: your prayers are being prayed at the throne by Someone whose prayers cannot be refused.
Three movements — one Christ: First: everything Christ has is ours. Second: the chariot of providence, driven by wisdom, turning on the axle of love. Third: the intercession — the High Priest with outstretched arms, Le's name on His breastplate, Le's morning prayer already perfumed and presented.
The granary and the bills of exchange: Taylor's bills of exchange from God. Taylor's magazine of grace. Spurgeon's Joseph: granaries full, door open, bounty declared ours. Three images across three weeks — the same truth: God's provision is not rationed.
The trust is not in Le's prayer: Le's trust is not in the quality of her prayers. Le's trust is in the Intercessor. His prayers are always heard. The prayer offered over coffee in Le Faou — carried to the Father by the Son who purchased mercies with His blood. God cannot refuse His own Son.
Continue your prayers: Spurgeon's final word matches Taylor's rule five: go on still in hoping. And Le's September 13: we are walking patiently. Continue. Go on still. Walk patiently. Pray over coffee. The High Priest takes it from there — and He always lives to make intercession. 🙏