Edited from, Morning & Evening Devotions, by Charles Haddon Spurgeon. 

 

“The Marrow and Fatness of Prayer and Fellowship with the Lord” 

Psalm 63:1 A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. 2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. 3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. 4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

Many are "the paths of the Lord" which "drop marrow and fatness," but an especial one is the path of prayer. No believer, who is much in the closet of prayer, will have need to cry, "My leanness, my leanness; woe unto me." Starving souls live at a distance from the mercy-seat, and become like the parched fields in times of drought. Prevalence with God in wrestling prayer is sure to make the believer strong-if not happy. The nearest place to the gate of heaven is the throne of the heavenly grace that is found in prayer. Much alone in prayer, and you will have much assurance; little alone with Jesus, your life will be shallow, polluted with many doubts and fears, and not sparkling with the joy of the Lord.

Since the soul-enriching path of prayer is open to the very weakest Christian; since no high attainments are required; since you are not bidden to come because you are an advanced Christian, but freely invited if you be a Christian at all; see to it, dear reader, that you are often in the way of private prayer devotion. Be much on your knees, for so Elijah drew the rain upon famished Israel's fields. There is another especial path dropping with fatness to those who walk therein, it is the secret walk of communion (fellowship) with Christ Jesus. Oh! the delights of fellowship with Jesus! Earth hath no words which can set forth the holy calm of a soul leaning on Jesus' strength.

Few Christians understand it, they live in the lowlands and seldom climb to the top of the mountain of fellowship with Christ their Lord: they live in the outer court, they enter not the inner place of closeness with their Savior. They take not up the privilege of communing with their Messiah. At a distance they seek Him, but they sit not down with the Lord of lords to eat thereof, and to enjoy the beauty of their King. But, reader, sit thou ever under the shadow of Jesus; come up to that palm tree, and take hold of the branches thereof; let thy beloved Christ be unto thee as the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, and thou shalt be satisfied as with marrow and fatness. O Jesus, visit us with Thy deliverance.  Deliver us to prayer and fellowship with Thee.