Daily Devotion - Jan 4 - ¯îºz¥Ì¬u Streams in the Desert

荒漠甘泉 Streams in the Desert

信心的禱告

經文: 「耶穌對他說：回去罷！你的兒子活了。那人信耶穌所說的話，就回去了。」（約四50）<br>「你們禱告祈求的…只要信…」（可十一24）

如果這裡有一件事需要專一的禱告，就該禱告直到你能信上帝，直到你能發出無偽的讚美來感謝上帝的答應。如果上帝的答應一時還在中途，切勿重新求上帝答應你的祈求，因為這表示你沒有信上帝。這種不信的禱告，非但不能幫助你甚麼，反能減少或消滅你的信心。獻上這禱告的催促，定是出乎撒但或是自己。這也許不能算錯：當上帝還放你在一個等候的地位，你再去向祂申說，可是切記你必須帶著信心。不要把你自己禱告得失了信心。你可以告訴祂，你仍然等著祂、相信祂，因此仍然讚美感謝祂的答應。你如果確信答應必將來到，你能夠先為著尚未來到的答應感謝、讚美上帝。我告訴你：沒有一件東西，比這更能堅固你的信心。把我們禱告得失了信心的禱告，是否認上帝在經上給我們的應許，也否認上帝在我們心中給我們的一聲「是」。這種禱告不過表示我們的心沒有安息，沒有安息就是不信禱告的答應。「但我們已經相信的人，得以進入那安息。」（來四3）這種把我們自己禱告得失了信心的禱告，常是因為我們的思想集中在難處上，過於在上帝的應許上。亞伯拉罕「不想到自己的身體….不疑惑上帝的應許」（羅四十九20，直譯）。讓我們儆醒禱告，免得入了迷惑，以致把我們自己禱告得失了信心。──C.H.P.

信心不是感覺、不是眼見、不是理由，乃是在上帝的話語上抓住上帝。──伊文思（Evans）

焦急的開始，就是信心的結束。信心的開始，就是焦急的結束。──莫勒（Geo. Mueller）

在舒適的環境中，你絕不會學到信心的功課。上帝常在我們孤單的時候，給我們應許；然後用祂恩典的話語當作印，蓋在所給我們的約上，便暫時退後去看我們究竟相信多少？祂又讓那誘惑人的來試探我們，讓我們的遭遇，似乎與祂所說的完全相反。這時候就是信心贏得冠冕的時候。這時候就該在黑雲之下，風波之中，發出勝利的歡呼來：「我信上帝祂怎樣對我說，事情也要怎樣成就。」（徒廿七25）──選


Believing Prayer

Scripture: &quot;Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way&quot; (John 4:50).<br>&quot;When ye pray, believe&quot; (Mark 11:24).

When there is a matter that requires definite prayer, pray till you believe God, until with unfeigned lips you can thank Him for the answer. If the answer still tarries outwardly, do not pray for it in such a way that it is evident that you are not definitely believing for it. Such a prayer in place of being a help will be a hindrance; and when you are finished praying, you will find that your faith has weakened or has entirely gone. The urgency that you felt to offer this kind of prayer is clearly from self and Satan. It may not be wrong to mention the matter in question to the Lord again, if He is keeping you waiting, but be sure you do so in such a way that it implies faith. Do not pray yourself out of faith. You may tell Him that you are waiting and that you are still believing Him and therefore praise Him for the answer. There is nothing that so fully clinches faith as to be so sure of the answer that you can thank God for it. Prayers that pray us out of faith deny both God's promise in His Word and also His whisper "Yes," that He gave us in our hearts. Such prayers are but the expression of the unrest of one's heart, and unrest implies unbelief in reference to the answer to prayer. "For we which have believed do enter into rest" (Heb. 4:3). This prayer that prays ourselves out of faith frequently arises from centering our thoughts on the difficulty rather than on God's promise. Abraham "considered not his own body," "he staggered not at the promise of God" (Rom. 4:19, 20). May we watch and pray that we enter not into temptation of praying ourselves out of faith. --C. H. P.
Faith is not a sense, nor sight, nor reason, but a taking God at His Word. --Evans
The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. --George Mueller
You will never learn faith in comfortable surroundings. God gives us the promises in a quiet hour; God seals our covenants with great and gracious words, then He steps back and waits to see how much we believe; then He lets the tempter come, and the test seems to contradict all that He has spoken. It is then that faith wins its crown. That is the time to look up through the storm, and among the trembling, frightened seamen cry, "I believe God that it shall be even as it was told me."


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