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Spurgeon on the Priority of Prayer
When Spurgeon speaks, you’d be wise to listen. The great London preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon had a lot to say during his four decades of ministry at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. And beyond his mighty voice, Spurgeon’s pen churned out countless words of biblical interpretation and Christian wisdom. These words can still encourage us today! Volume 1 of the Spurgeon Speaks series collects Spurgeon’s reflections and meditations on the importance of prayer in the Christian life. He was known as a mighty man of prayer, and his insights will deepen your prayer life as well. Presented in lovely editions that you’ll be proud to have on your shelf, the Spurgeon Speaks series offers focused readings on topics that were important to the Prince of Preachers. Expertly selected by Jason Allen and updated for twenty-first century readers, this series will be a valued addition to the library of pastors, scholars, and anyone who appreciates the legacy of Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
160 pages, Paperback
Published July 6, 2021
22 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Jason K. Allen
29 books22 followersDR. JASON ALLEN is the fifth and youngest president of Midwestern Baptist Seminary. He has served as pastor and interim pastor of Southern Baptist churches in Alabama and Kentucky over the past fifteen years. He currently serves the church more broadly through writing and preaching ministries, including his own website www.jasonkallen.com, where he writes on various topics including higher education, theology, preaching, and cultural and local church issues. He and his wife, Karen, have five children: Anne-Marie, Caroline, William, Alden, and Elizabeth.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 6, 2023
Hard to rate a compilation of sermons!
Ask me to send you the link for the transcript of my favorite sermon from the book!!!!
Some were delightfully refreshing. A few were a little dense. I wish I wasn’t so WEAK when it comes to the old English. Overall a goldmine regardless.
Ask me to send you the link for the transcript of my favorite sermon from the book!!!!
Some were delightfully refreshing. A few were a little dense. I wish I wasn’t so WEAK when it comes to the old English. Overall a goldmine regardless.
January 21, 2025
Spurgeon is amazing as always!
“Oh, could you see what might be had for the asking you would not be so slack. The priceless benisons of heaven that lie on one side as yet, oh, did you but perceive that they are only waiting for you to pray, you would not wait a moment.”
“You have about you the omnipotence of God, for you have the power to move the arm that moves the world.”
Let’s move that arm then.
“Oh, could you see what might be had for the asking you would not be so slack. The priceless benisons of heaven that lie on one side as yet, oh, did you but perceive that they are only waiting for you to pray, you would not wait a moment.”
“You have about you the omnipotence of God, for you have the power to move the arm that moves the world.”
Let’s move that arm then.
July 29, 2021
4.5 stars rounded up
I really enjoyed this first volume in the Spurgeon Speaks series. This is a collection of 8 of Spurgeon's sermons on prayer. The sermon topics include: the power of prayer, praying and waiting, David's dying prayer, the key to prayer, godliness and prayer, prayer for temptation, prayer without ceasing, and thanksgiving and prayer.
Even though these sermons were preached more than 100 years ago, they are very relevant today, since we struggle in much the same way people did back then. Prayer can be difficult when we don't walk in it but easy when we do. This is something Spurgeon pointed out in one of these sermons that I have personally experienced.
I'm grateful to Mr. Jason Allen for working on these volumes and making them available to us. It's amazing that these sermons can still be beneficial to us after being preached over 100 years ago. Spurgeon Speaks is such a fitting name.
I'm not sure if the language was edited for an easier read but I did not find Spurgeon's vernacular difficult to understand. But reading through this volume may require concentration since it was not written to be read but rather heard.
This little compilation was helpful and challenging- without a doubt, fans of the Prince of Preachers will love it and the nuggets it contains.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
I really enjoyed this first volume in the Spurgeon Speaks series. This is a collection of 8 of Spurgeon's sermons on prayer. The sermon topics include: the power of prayer, praying and waiting, David's dying prayer, the key to prayer, godliness and prayer, prayer for temptation, prayer without ceasing, and thanksgiving and prayer.
Even though these sermons were preached more than 100 years ago, they are very relevant today, since we struggle in much the same way people did back then. Prayer can be difficult when we don't walk in it but easy when we do. This is something Spurgeon pointed out in one of these sermons that I have personally experienced.
I'm grateful to Mr. Jason Allen for working on these volumes and making them available to us. It's amazing that these sermons can still be beneficial to us after being preached over 100 years ago. Spurgeon Speaks is such a fitting name.
I'm not sure if the language was edited for an easier read but I did not find Spurgeon's vernacular difficult to understand. But reading through this volume may require concentration since it was not written to be read but rather heard.
This little compilation was helpful and challenging- without a doubt, fans of the Prince of Preachers will love it and the nuggets it contains.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
July 11, 2023
“When Spurgeon speaks, you’d be wise to listen.” Especially on a topic as critical as prayer.
DL Moody said the only thing better than hearing Spurgeon preach was hearing him pray. When he took visitors to the basement of his church, where members would be praying during the worship service, Spurgeon would declare, “here is the powerhouse of the church.”
This book is Jason Allen’s attempt to “curate” 8 of Spurgeon’s sermons on prayer. He begins each sermon with the sermon text, overall BLUF, and some cherry-picked quotes.
Overall, I found these 8 chapters refreshing and encouraging while doing Spurgeon’s sermons justice. Yet more importantly these sections glorified God and challenged me in my faith.
Below are some of my favorite quotes from each sermons:
1. “The Conditions of Power in Prayer” (1 John 3:22-24)
“In a thousand ways we insult the Lord by imagining ‘the things which are seen’ to be more substantial than His unseen omnipotence.”
“We believe that the prayers of Christians are a part of the machinery of Providence, cogs in the wheel of destiny, and when God leads His children to pray, He has already set in motion a wheel that is to produce the result prayed for, and the prayers offered are moving as a part of the wheel.”
“A Christian is not to run unto God in the morning, and again at night, and use Him as a shelter and a makeshift, as people do of an arch or a portico, which they run under in a shower of rain, but we are to dwell in God and live in Him, from the rising of the sun until the going down thereof, making Him our daily meditation and walking as in His sight.”
2. “Praying and Waiting” (1 John 5:13-15)
“Ps 5:3 - As men take an arrow from the quiver, so David takes his prayer and directs it to God. He is not shooting to the right hand or to the left but upwards to his God. Anxious to know how it speeds, he looks to see whether the Lord accepts his desire and continues to look to see whether a gracious answer is returned.”
“Prayer is God’s Spirit returning whence it came, and it will never fail.”
3. “David’s Dying Prayer” (Psalm 72:19)
“You are not a man unless you start from your knees and cry, ‘Let the whole earth be filled with His glory.”
4. “The Golden Key of Prayer” (Jer 33:3)
“God’s people have always in their worst condition found out the best of their God.”
“We give our strength and freshness to the ways of mammon and our fatigue and languor to the ways of God. Hence we need to be commanded to attend to that very act which ought to be our greatest happiness, as it is our highest privilege to perform- to meet with our God.”
“Brethren in the ministry, I pray you remember that prayer is your best means of study … as Luther said, ‘To have prayed well is to have studied well.’”
5. “Prayer, the Proof of Godliness” (Ps 32:6)
“I know of no better thermometer to your spiritual temperature than this, the measure of the intensity of your prayer.”
“When your eyes are blinded with tears of penitence, you can best see the Savior … because you find yourself to be guilty, therefore have hope.”
6. “Lead Us Not Into Temptation” (Matt 6:13)
“Pray the Lord not to let you rise so high nor sink so low as to be led into evil. ‘Lead us not into temptation’ must be our hourly prayer.”
“Weakness is our strength, and our strength is weakness.”
7. “Pray Without Ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17)
“The position of our text is very suggestive. It comes immediately after the precept, ‘Rejoice always,’ as if that command had somewhat staggered the reader and made him ask, ‘How can I always rejoice?’ The apostle therefore appended an answer: ‘Always pray.’ The more praying, the more rejoicing. Prayer gives a channel to the pent-up sorrows of the soul; they flow away, and in their stead, streams of sacred delight pour into the heart.”
“As we breathe without ceasing, so must we pray without ceasing.”
“While your hands are busy with the world, let your hearts still talk with God.”
“He who prays without ceasing uses many little darts and hand grenades of godly desire, which he casts forth at every available interval.”
“Let us so much fear the eye of God that we shall not dare to fear the eye of man.”
“Praying is the end of preaching. Preaching is but the wheat stalk, but praying is the golden grain itself, and he hath the best who gets it.”
“As you are tempted without ceasing, so ‘pray without ceasing.’”
8. “Thanksgiving and Prayer” (Psalm 65:11)
“The nearest place to the gate of heaven is the throne of the heavenly grace. Much alone, and you will have much assurance; little alone with God, your religion will be very shallow. You shall have many doubts and fears and but little of the joy of the Lord.”
“However experienced we maybe in sacred service, you and I cannot serve God effectually, nor see any power resting on our ministry except as we get more of the Spirit of the living God.”
DL Moody said the only thing better than hearing Spurgeon preach was hearing him pray. When he took visitors to the basement of his church, where members would be praying during the worship service, Spurgeon would declare, “here is the powerhouse of the church.”
This book is Jason Allen’s attempt to “curate” 8 of Spurgeon’s sermons on prayer. He begins each sermon with the sermon text, overall BLUF, and some cherry-picked quotes.
Overall, I found these 8 chapters refreshing and encouraging while doing Spurgeon’s sermons justice. Yet more importantly these sections glorified God and challenged me in my faith.
Below are some of my favorite quotes from each sermons:
1. “The Conditions of Power in Prayer” (1 John 3:22-24)
“In a thousand ways we insult the Lord by imagining ‘the things which are seen’ to be more substantial than His unseen omnipotence.”
“We believe that the prayers of Christians are a part of the machinery of Providence, cogs in the wheel of destiny, and when God leads His children to pray, He has already set in motion a wheel that is to produce the result prayed for, and the prayers offered are moving as a part of the wheel.”
“A Christian is not to run unto God in the morning, and again at night, and use Him as a shelter and a makeshift, as people do of an arch or a portico, which they run under in a shower of rain, but we are to dwell in God and live in Him, from the rising of the sun until the going down thereof, making Him our daily meditation and walking as in His sight.”
2. “Praying and Waiting” (1 John 5:13-15)
“Ps 5:3 - As men take an arrow from the quiver, so David takes his prayer and directs it to God. He is not shooting to the right hand or to the left but upwards to his God. Anxious to know how it speeds, he looks to see whether the Lord accepts his desire and continues to look to see whether a gracious answer is returned.”
“Prayer is God’s Spirit returning whence it came, and it will never fail.”
3. “David’s Dying Prayer” (Psalm 72:19)
“You are not a man unless you start from your knees and cry, ‘Let the whole earth be filled with His glory.”
4. “The Golden Key of Prayer” (Jer 33:3)
“God’s people have always in their worst condition found out the best of their God.”
“We give our strength and freshness to the ways of mammon and our fatigue and languor to the ways of God. Hence we need to be commanded to attend to that very act which ought to be our greatest happiness, as it is our highest privilege to perform- to meet with our God.”
“Brethren in the ministry, I pray you remember that prayer is your best means of study … as Luther said, ‘To have prayed well is to have studied well.’”
5. “Prayer, the Proof of Godliness” (Ps 32:6)
“I know of no better thermometer to your spiritual temperature than this, the measure of the intensity of your prayer.”
“When your eyes are blinded with tears of penitence, you can best see the Savior … because you find yourself to be guilty, therefore have hope.”
6. “Lead Us Not Into Temptation” (Matt 6:13)
“Pray the Lord not to let you rise so high nor sink so low as to be led into evil. ‘Lead us not into temptation’ must be our hourly prayer.”
“Weakness is our strength, and our strength is weakness.”
7. “Pray Without Ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17)
“The position of our text is very suggestive. It comes immediately after the precept, ‘Rejoice always,’ as if that command had somewhat staggered the reader and made him ask, ‘How can I always rejoice?’ The apostle therefore appended an answer: ‘Always pray.’ The more praying, the more rejoicing. Prayer gives a channel to the pent-up sorrows of the soul; they flow away, and in their stead, streams of sacred delight pour into the heart.”
“As we breathe without ceasing, so must we pray without ceasing.”
“While your hands are busy with the world, let your hearts still talk with God.”
“He who prays without ceasing uses many little darts and hand grenades of godly desire, which he casts forth at every available interval.”
“Let us so much fear the eye of God that we shall not dare to fear the eye of man.”
“Praying is the end of preaching. Preaching is but the wheat stalk, but praying is the golden grain itself, and he hath the best who gets it.”
“As you are tempted without ceasing, so ‘pray without ceasing.’”
8. “Thanksgiving and Prayer” (Psalm 65:11)
“The nearest place to the gate of heaven is the throne of the heavenly grace. Much alone, and you will have much assurance; little alone with God, your religion will be very shallow. You shall have many doubts and fears and but little of the joy of the Lord.”
“However experienced we maybe in sacred service, you and I cannot serve God effectually, nor see any power resting on our ministry except as we get more of the Spirit of the living God.”
July 29, 2021
I received a copy of this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for an honest review.
As a newer Christian, I have heard lots about Charles Spurgeon but hadn’t read any of his writings yet. This book was a good introduction to his writings. This is the first book in the Spurgeon Speaks series. He has lots of good things to say about prayer. The only downside is that his writings were originally from the late 1800s so a lot of the language is outdated. This means you have to read a little slower and really have good concentration. I can often read while my husband watches TV but NOT with this book. I needed silence. Here’s an example:
“My brethren, there are heights in experimental knowledge of the things of God that the eagle’s eye of acumen and philosophic thought has never seen, and there are secret paths that the lion’s whelp of reason and judgement has not learnt to travel.”
Spurgeon on the Priority of Prayer pg 72
Spurgeon talks about how we should expect an answer to our prayers. Also, how we need to believe in God when we pray. We need to know he will provide for us. He says prayer should be like breathing. Something we do without thinking, all the day long. Prayer shouldn’t be a task we check off a list, but be a happy experience we look forward to doing. He discusses the position our bodies are in when we pray and interjectory prayer.
As a newer Christian, I have heard lots about Charles Spurgeon but hadn’t read any of his writings yet. This book was a good introduction to his writings. This is the first book in the Spurgeon Speaks series. He has lots of good things to say about prayer. The only downside is that his writings were originally from the late 1800s so a lot of the language is outdated. This means you have to read a little slower and really have good concentration. I can often read while my husband watches TV but NOT with this book. I needed silence. Here’s an example:
“My brethren, there are heights in experimental knowledge of the things of God that the eagle’s eye of acumen and philosophic thought has never seen, and there are secret paths that the lion’s whelp of reason and judgement has not learnt to travel.”
Spurgeon on the Priority of Prayer pg 72
Spurgeon talks about how we should expect an answer to our prayers. Also, how we need to believe in God when we pray. We need to know he will provide for us. He says prayer should be like breathing. Something we do without thinking, all the day long. Prayer shouldn’t be a task we check off a list, but be a happy experience we look forward to doing. He discusses the position our bodies are in when we pray and interjectory prayer.
April 10, 2025
It’s good for pastors to hear other pastors talk about prayer. Who better to learn from that the Prince of Preachers. Several of these sermons in particular have admonitions and categories that will help preachers pray AND help preachers teach their people to pray.
October 21, 2021
Direct and powerful.
Spurgeon always had a way with words that it was clear he was touched by God. I greatly appreciated this collection of sermons on prayer. Very well done and would highly recommend to the Christian who struggles to get into the rhythm of prayer.
Spurgeon always had a way with words that it was clear he was touched by God. I greatly appreciated this collection of sermons on prayer. Very well done and would highly recommend to the Christian who struggles to get into the rhythm of prayer.
Read
August 11, 2025“So let your heart be magnetized with prayer, so that if the finger of duty turns it away from the immediate act of prayer, there may still be the longing desire for prayer in your soul, and the moment you can do so, your heart reverts to its beloved work.”
“If we know that any matter from which we can escape tends to disturb the spirit of prayer within us, let us avoid it earnestly.”
“The men who do not love to pray must be strangers to its secret joy.”
“I must therefore be sure that God has given me Christ, and if He has given Christ to me, then I know that He will give me all things. But if I have any doubt about Christ’s being mine and about my being the receiver of God’s unspeakable gift in Christ, I cannot reason as the apostle did, and I cannot therefore have that confidence that my prayer is heard.”
“If we know that any matter from which we can escape tends to disturb the spirit of prayer within us, let us avoid it earnestly.”
“The men who do not love to pray must be strangers to its secret joy.”
“I must therefore be sure that God has given me Christ, and if He has given Christ to me, then I know that He will give me all things. But if I have any doubt about Christ’s being mine and about my being the receiver of God’s unspeakable gift in Christ, I cannot reason as the apostle did, and I cannot therefore have that confidence that my prayer is heard.”
May 1, 2024
We have here a nice compilation of 8 sermons by Spurgeon that are focusing on Prayer, which make up this easy-to-read book. While these are basically the same as one finds on the “Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit” volumes (and the specific volume of each of these is referred to prior to each sermon), the layout lends itself a bit better to modern readership. I also appreciated the Introduction page that is provided to each sermon, including the “Notable Quotes”.
This is a good way to get into the Sermons of Spurgeon. It is also a good way to spend some time listening to his words on prayer. This book would be a good addition to your devotional time.
This is a good way to get into the Sermons of Spurgeon. It is also a good way to spend some time listening to his words on prayer. This book would be a good addition to your devotional time.
February 5, 2025
“Lord, if what I ask does not please You, neither would it please me. My desires are put into Your hands to be corrected. Strike the pen through every petition I offer that is not right, and put in whatever I have omitted. Good Lord, if I ought to have desired it, hear me as if I had desired it. ‘Not as I will, but as You will.’”
An absolutely beautiful compilation, and a challenge for the believer whose prayer life is weak.
An absolutely beautiful compilation, and a challenge for the believer whose prayer life is weak.
July 16, 2021
Spurgeon's sermons on prayer are some of the most insightful, encouraging I have read. This volume includes eight sermons that he preached in London during his tenure at Metropolitan Tabernacle.
While the language is formal, and may be difficult for casual readers, the style is elegant and smooth.
I found myself eating each chapter up. I recommend this book to anyone who loves prayer, anyone looking to grow their prayer life, or anyone who has not give much thought to prayer life.
While the language is formal, and may be difficult for casual readers, the style is elegant and smooth.
I found myself eating each chapter up. I recommend this book to anyone who loves prayer, anyone looking to grow their prayer life, or anyone who has not give much thought to prayer life.
July 10, 2023
A challenging series of sermons about prayer. Some of the sermons worked better on paper than others I think sometimes things that work well in front of an audience come of as odd when read. I liked his style of preaching or maybe I just like the way the brits talked back in the 1860s.
September 10, 2024
Due to his location and era, Spurgeon can, sometimes, be challenging to read. It requires we use our brain. But the reward is great as his insight and explanations are highly beneficial for followers of Christ, tiday.
October 5, 2024
This book is actually my first real exposure to Spurgeon. It also is an excellent little book on prayer. Anyone wishing to have a better understanding of prayer's role in a believer's life will do well to read this. There's plenty to chew on, but not enough to make you choke.
I also really enjoyed Spurgeon's clear and vivid style - it just made sense to my brain. Plenty of quotes to underline!
Looking forward to reading more in the Spurgeon Speaks series.
I also really enjoyed Spurgeon's clear and vivid style - it just made sense to my brain. Plenty of quotes to underline!
Looking forward to reading more in the Spurgeon Speaks series.
January 27, 2025
Good work chuck. Old sermons of his collected by Moody, some real gems and some duds. Biggest takeaway is that Spurgeon believes deep in his bones that prayer WORKS and that when he prays, he WILL get an answer. Great faith to model!
March 20, 2023
Fantastic. I listened to this one, but will definitely order the paperback. This is a book worth revisiting.
July 3, 2023
Spurgeon’s insights on prayers are potent and powerful. You’re missing out if you haven’t gleaned from his well of wisdom
January 16, 2024
Jason Allen's done the work to bring together some of Spurgeon's best teaching on prayer. As always, Spurgeon is edifying!
January 19, 2025
Very valuable resource on prayer and Ch.7 is very useful on “praying without ceasing.”
March 21, 2025
I loved this. I will definitely need to read the other volumes!
July 21, 2025
A powerful collection of sermons on the topic of prayer. Incredibly readable and devotional. Our church gave them out to the men on Father’s Day. It was a great boost to my prayer life
November 20, 2025
it was good just not my type of read. I love the book And the knowledge just not the writing
September 3, 2022
Excellent insights even if I didn’t agree with all the theology.
January 22, 2025
Spurgeon is an excellent preacher—these 8 sermons blessed me immensely.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews