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經文：「我呼叫祂，祂卻不回答」（歌5:6） 神常常喜歡在賜給我們信心以後，用遲延的方法來試煉我們的信心。祂容忍祂的僕人們大聲呼喊著，卻不回答他們。 就像是想要推門，門卻絲毫不動，好似門絞鍊上長滿了鐵銹一般。他們常像耶利米一樣哀呼：「祢以黑雲遮蔽自己，以至禱告不得透入。」（哀3:44） 許多敬虔的聖徒都曾經久不變地耐心等候，可是他們還是沒有得到回應；這不是因為他們的禱告不夠迫切，也不是因為他們的禱告不蒙悅納，乃是神喜悅如此；因為祂是天地的主，祂可以按著自己的旨意賜恩給我們。如果祂想要讓我們的忍耐經過試煉，有何不可呢？ 但是沒有一個禱告會白費。神絕對不會不答應或者不重視我們的禱告；許多事我們以為被神拒絕了，其實，那祇是延遲罷了。--彭納 H. Bonar 神有時延遲祂的幫助，是為了考驗我們的信心，敦促我們的禱告。船被風浪掩蓋，耶穌卻仍睡著；但在船沉以先，祂一定會醒來。我們的主雖然睡著，卻從來不會睡過頭；在祂絕對不會「太遲」的。--馬克拉倫 Mc Laren 新譯｜荒漠甘泉讀書會
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Scripture: "I called upon him, but he gave me no answer" (S. of Sol. 5:6). The Lord, when He hath given great faith, hath been known to try it by long delayings. He has suffered His servants' voices to echo in their ears as from a brazen sky. They have knocked at the golden gate, but it has remained unmovable, as though it were rusted upon its hinges. Like Jeremiah, they have cried, "Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through." Thus have true saints continued long in patient waiting without reply, not because their prayers were not vehement, nor because they were unaccepted, but because it so pleased Him who is a Sovereign, and who gives according to His own pleasure. If it pleases Him to bid our patience exercise itself, shall He not do as He will with His own! No prayer is lost. Praying breath was never spent in vain. There is no such thing as prayer unanswered or unnoticed by God, and some things that we count refusals or denials are simply delays. --H. Bonar Christ sometimes delays His help that He may try our faith and quicken our prayers. The boat may be covered with the waves, and He sleeps on; but He will wake up before it sinks. He sleeps, but He never oversleeps; and there are no "too lates" with Him. --Alexander Maclaren ｜ Mrs. Charles Cowman
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