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 We have been going over Bible reading and its importance in our lives. We can also look at how Bible reading and prayer is important in our marriages.  Ray Rhodes, Jr. is author of Susie: The Life and Legacy of Susannah Spurgeon and Yours, Till Heaven: The Untold Love Story of Charles and Susie Spurgeon. He wrote in an article how Bible reading and prayer were the foundation that Charles and Susie Spurgeon built their marriage and how Susie relied on prayer for her marriage to a very famous preacher and for all the time that her husband traveled and she was alone.

Bible Reading Centered on Christ

Charles Spurgeon looked to Christ and is quoted saying “The true Christian is to be such a husband as Christ was to his spouse." Rhodes tells us that Charles believed “A Christocentric reading of the Scripture informed him that he was to love Susie in a 'special,' 'constant,' 'enduring,' and 'delighted' manner, for he took Christ as his Savior, his model, and his teacher. And Susie felt that she was married to a man who loved her deeply because he loved Christ supremely. Susie’s marriage caused her to marvel at 'the mercy of my God.'"

Ray Rhodes also goes on to say “Charles and Susie’s Christ-centered perspective was honed through their disciplined reading of the Bible. Their approach was simple—they believed the Bible to be true, trustworthy, and sufficient because of the infallibility of God Himself. And, trusting in the reliability of the Bible—they read it faithfully, confidently, and expectantly. Everything that they needed to know about God and about how to love one another was contained in the Bible. Charles imagined that if the Bible merely contained the words of man, it should be discarded. However, he believed the Bible to be 'God’s handwriting and, therefore, authoritative. Susie said that it was 'well to ponder every weighty sentence' of God’s 'loving voice.'”

Spurgeon said “If the heavenly gold is not worth digging for, you are not likely to discover it.” We are told he applied this to his daily life by meditating on God’s Word as well. Charles and Susie would not mindlessly or aimlessly ponder on Scripture, but use their intellect to delve into Scripture.

Prayer

'A most precious thing' is what the Spurgeons called prayer in their home and marriage. They had a simple faith that believed God fulfilled His promises. Rhodes also tells us “Charles believed that God gave promises in the Bible with intent to fulfill said promises to those who asked by faith. He was not advocating for what is today commonly called a prosperity gospel. Quite the opposite; he earnestly read the Bible in context and searched for God’s promises. Discovering them, he asked God to fulfill His promises. Very simply, Charles and Susie prayed expectantly that God, out of His generous kindness and love, would act on their behalf.”

               Susie said that prayer was her ‘telephone line’ to God. When her heart was heavy or weary this is the way that God provided for her in which to share her burden.  Charles too, being human felt like the spiritual disciplines he set in place could help him through seasons where he felt spiritually cold. He would use prayer to renew his fervent love for Christ.

               When the world is talking about love in the next few weeks, let’s see how we can apply Scriptural and prayerful love to our marriages, to our families, and to God. To read this article in full click here or visit https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/articles/bible-reading-and-prayer-in-the-marriage-of-charles-and-susie-spurgeon