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經文：「我們本不曉得當怎樣禱告。」（羅8:26） 神對於我們所禱告的回應，常常出乎我們意外： 我們求忍耐，祂卻給我們患難，因為「患難生忍耐」（羅5:3）。 我們求順服，神卻給我們苦難，好使我們「因所受的苦難學了順從」（來5:8）。 我們求不利己，神卻給我們犧牲自己的機會，為別人著想為弟兄捨命。 我們求能力和謙卑，神卻給我們撒但的逼迫。 我們「求主加增我們的信心」（路17:5），神卻使我們虧損、生病、失業、遭難，令我們比以往更加倚靠信心。 我們求羔羊的生命，神卻給我們最低微的職業使我們受逼迫，因為「祂像羊羔被牽到宰殺之地…不開口」（賽53:7）。 我們求溫柔，神卻給我們所厭惡與容易被激怒的環境。 我們求安靜，神卻使我們每一根神經都感到緊張，好叫我們到祂那裡尋求安息。 我們求愛心，神卻將我們放在最不可愛的人當中，讓他們刺激我們的神經，中傷我們的真心；因為愛是恆久忍耐，又有恩慈，愛是不求自己的益處，不輕易發怒，愛是凡事包容，凡事相信，凡事盼望，凡事忍耐，愛是永不止息。 得勝和安息的方法，就是直接從天父的手中接受祂所給你的每一個環境和試煉，因而享受其中萬事都互相效力的益處。--選 新譯｜荒漠甘泉讀書會 |
◇◇◇ Scripture: "We know not what we should pray for as we ought" (Rom. 8:26). Much that perplexes us in our Christian experience is but the answer to our prayers. We pray for patience, and our Father sends those who tax us to the utmost; for "tribulation worketh patience." We pray for submission, and God sends sufferings; for "we learn obedience by the things we suffer." We pray for unselfishness, and God gives us opportunities to sacrifice ourselves by thinking on the things of others, and by laying down our lives for the brethren. We pray for strength and humility, and some messenger of Satan torments us until we lie in the dust crying for its removal. We pray, "Lord, increase our faith," and money takes wings; or the children are alarmingly ill; or a servant comes who is careless, extravagant, untidy or slow, or some hitherto unknown trial calls for an increase of faith along a line where we have not needed to exercise much faith before. We pray for the Lamb-life, and are given a portion of lowly service, or we are injured and must seek no redress; for "he was led as a lamb to the slaughter and…opened not his mouth." We pray for gentleness, and there comes a perfect storm of temptation to harshness and irritability. We pray for quietness, and every nerve is strung to the utmost tension, so that looking to Him we may learn that when He giveth quietness, no one can make trouble. We pray for love, and God sends peculiar suffering and puts us with apparently unlovely people, and lets them say things which rasp the nerves and lacerate the heart; for love suffereth long and is kind, love is not impolite, love is not provoked. LOVE BEARETH ALL THINGS, believeth, hopeth and endureth, love never faileth. We pray for likeness to Jesus, and the answer is, "I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." "Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong?" "Are ye able?" The way to peace and victory is to accept every circumstance, every trial, straight from the hand of a loving Father; and to live up in the heavenly places, above the clouds, in the very presence of the Throne, and to look down from the Glory upon our environment as lovingly and divinely appointed. --Selected ｜ Mrs. Charles Cowman |