Story
An old preaching story tells of an artist contest on the theme of peace. One canvas is a still alpine lake at dawn — glass water,…
Rest · Suffering · Hope
Psalm 46 · John 16
Story
The preacher in the dark
Charles Spurgeon, lectures and later reflections on his depression
Spurgeon preached to thousands and still knew months when the sun would not come up inside him. He spoke of it without romance — a servant useful while wounded, a mind that could not always lift itself. Depression in a famous Christian is not a footnote. It is a mercy to everyone who thought faith would make them weatherproof. He kept climbing the pulpit stairs. That is not the same as pretending the stairs were easy.
How you’d preach it
Use when suffering is being spiritualized. Distinguish melancholy from unbelief. Some saints preach with a limp and are not less called.
- Suffering
- Calling
- Hope
Spurgeon · Psalm 88
Psalm 88; 2 Corinthians 1:8–10