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經文：「常常禱告，不可灰心。」（路18:1） 他墨蘭 Tammerlane 常喜歡向他的朋友述說早年的軼事。他說：「我有一次被仇敵追逼，不得已藏匿於一所破屋中，在那裡獨自枯坐了幾個鐘頭。那時我萬念俱灰，再也沒有志氣和勇敢去幹前面的事業了。在絕望中，我看見一隻小小螞蟻，背著一粒比牠大數倍的穀，盡力向牆上拖走。牠跌下多次，但是每一次又仍舊努力向上。我曾數過，牠下來了六十九次；可是牠並不灰心氣餒，第七十次牠到達了高牆的頂上。那時我倍感興奮，且從來未曾忘記這個教訓。」--譯自君王軼事 The King's Business 我們若光看以前有許多禱告得不著答應就稍感灰心，我會說那些就不是信心的禱告了。所謂信心的禱告，會視沒有得到答應的禱告為一種鼓勵與證據；暗示上帝的答應已經更接近，就在前面了。從起初到末了，主的教訓和榜樣都告訴我們：應當常常禱告，不可灰心。懇求的禱告若是尚未得到答應，就該集中以前所有的力量繼續祈求，直到上帝給你應許或是成就。假若上帝已經聽了你的禱告，這並非禱告就可以中止。應該繼續，且改為讚美和感謝的禱告。--亞賽 Wm. Arthur 大音樂家魯賓斯坦 Rubenstein 有一次說：「如果我一天不練習音樂，我自己會覺得；如果兩天不練習，我的朋友會覺得；如果三天不練習，人人都會覺得。」我們的禱告也是如此，若不常常禱告，你和人人都會發覺：你的禱告是走了樣的。--選 慕勒先生曾為他五個不信的朋友禱告。他天天祈求不肯放鬆，雖然一時看不見甚麼效果，可是絕不灰心，仍然繼續求主。結果五年之後，第一位朋友得救了；十年之後，第二和第三位朋友得救了；二十五年之後，第四位朋友得救了；直到慕勒死後好幾年，第五位朋友也得救了。他在禱告上所花的工夫，真不是徒然的。--醒 新譯｜荒漠甘泉讀書會
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Scripture: "Men ought always to pray and not to faint" (Luke18:1). "Go to the ant." Tammerlane used to relate to his friends an anecdote of his early life. "I once he said, "was forced to take shelter from my enemies in a ruined building, where I sat alone many hours. Desiring to divert my mind from my hopeless condition, I fixed my eyes on an ant that was carrying a grain of corn larger than itself up a high wall. I numbered the efforts it made to accomplish this object. The grain fell sixty-nine times to the ground; but the insect persevered, and the seventieth time it reached the top. This sight gave me courage at the moment, and I never forgot the lesson. --The King's Business Prayer which takes the fact that past prayers have not been answered as a reason for languor, has already ceased to be the prayer of faith. To the prayer of faith the fact that prayers remain unanswered is only evidence that the moment of the answer is so much nearer. From first to last, the lessons and examples of our Lord all tell us that prayer which cannot persevere and urge its plea importunately, and renew, and renew itself again, and gather strength from every past petition, is not the prayer that will prevail. --William Arthur Rubenstein, the great musician, once said, "If I omit practice one day, I notice it; if two days, my friends notice it; if three days, the public notice it." It is the old doctrine, "Practice makes perfect." We must continue believing, continue praying, continue doing His will. Suppose along any line of art, one should cease practicing, we know what the result would be. If we would only use the same quality of common sense in our religion that we use in our everyday life, we should go on to perfection. The motto of David Livingstone was in these words, "I determined never to stop until I had come to the end and achieved my purpose." By unfaltering persistence and faith in God he conquered. ｜ Mrs. Charles Cowman
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