February 4

"I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth." (Isa. 58:14)

Those who fly through the air in airships tell us that one of the first rules they learn is to turn their ship toward the wind, and fly against it. The wind lifts the ship up to higher heights. Where did they learn that? They learned it from the birds. If a bird is flying for pleasure, it goes with the wind. But if the bird meets danger, it turns right around and faces the wind, in order that it may rise higher; and it flies away towards the very sun.

Sufferings are God's winds, His contrary winds, sometimes His strong winds. They are God's hurricanes, but, they take human life and lift it to higher levels and toward God's heavens.

You have seen in the summer time a day when the atmosphere was so oppressive that you could hardly breathe? But a cloud appeared on the western horizon and that cloud grew larger and threw out rich blessing¹ for the world. The storm rose, lightning flashed and thunder pealed². The storm covered the world, and the atmosphere was cleansed³; new life was in the air, and the world was changed.

Human life is worked out according to exactly the same principle. When the storm breaks the atmosphere is changed, clarified, filled with new life; and a part of heaven is brought down to earth. ━Selected

Obstacles ought to set us singing. The wind finds voice, not when rushing across the open sea, but when hindered by the outstretched arms of the pine trees, or broken by the fine strings⁴ of an Aeolian harp⁵. Then it has songs of power and beauty. Set your freed soul sweeping⁶ across the obstacles of life, through grim forests of pain, against even the tiny hindrances⁷ and frets⁸ that love uses, and it, too, will find its singing voice. ━Selected

"Be like a bird that, halting in its flight,

Rests on a bough⁹ too slight.

And feeling it give way beneath him sings,

Knowing he hath wings."

二月四日

“耶和华要使你乘驾地的高处” （赛五十八：14）

　　熟习航空的人告诉我们：他们初习的时候，常是逆风驾驶。逆风会把飞机抬得高些。这个秘诀，他们是从甚么地方学来的呢？他们从鸟类那里学来的。如果一只鸟儿正飞着玩，牠就随风而飞。如果遇见了危险，牠就立刻转过身来，面向风飞；这样，牠可以飞得高些。向着太阳直飞。

　　人生的逆境，是神给你的逆风，它们能抬你到最高级的━属天的━生活去。这就是“耶和华要使你乘驾地的高处”的方法。让我们作一个带响弦的风筝，在神的风中越飘越高，同时发出最好听的音乐━赞美━来以悦神耳。

　　你有没有经历过：夏日空气热闷的时候，有时竟连气也会透不过来。但在西方的天空，出现了一朵云，跟踵而至。暴风雨掩盖了这世界，给这世界带来了无穷的舒适，空气也澄清了，气象为之一新，世界是改观了。

　　人生也完全一样的道理。当暴风雨来临的时候，环境可能起了恶劣的变化，但它能发生澄清的作用，充满了新的气象，好象天堂的一角也被带到地上来了。━选

　　障碍应该使我们欢唱。风之能发生曼妙的声响，并不在海洋上畅行无阻的时候，而是在艰难地吹过层层枝叶交织的松树林间，或是吹到“爱奥良”琴的弦上，起了阻抗作用的时候。在上面这些场合，风才发出有力和美丽的音韵。释放你的灵魂，让它横扫生命的障碍，穿过痛苦的可怖森林，小至微细的磨折和烦恼，那么你的灵魂，也会唱出它的歌声了。━选

像一只停飞的小鸟，

栖息在细细的树梢，

歌唱时抖抖下垂，

我有翅膀，不必烦恼。

1 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

2 pealed   

v.（使）（钟等）鸣响，（雷等）发出隆隆声( peal的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The bells pealed (out) over the countryside. 钟声响彻郊野。 来自辞典例句
• A gun shot suddenly pealed forth and shot its flames into the air. 突然一声炮响，一道火光升上天空。 来自辞典例句

3 cleansed   

弄干净，清洗( cleanse的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The nurse cleansed the wound before stitching it. 护士先把伤口弄干净后才把它缝合。
• The notorious Hell Row was burned down in a fire, and much dirt was cleansed away. 臭名远场的阎王路已在一场大火中化为乌有，许多焦土灰烬被清除一空。

4 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

5 harp   

n.竖琴；天琴座

参考例句：

• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
• He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。

6 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

7 hindrances   

阻碍者( hindrance的名词复数 )； 障碍物； 受到妨碍的状态

参考例句：

• She also speaks out against the traditional hindrances to freedom. 她甚至大声疾呼，反对那些阻挡自由的、统礼教的绊脚石。
• When this stage is reached then the hindrances and karma are overcome. 唯此状态达到后，则超越阻碍和因果。

8 frets   

基质间片； 品丝（吉他等指板上定音的）( fret的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The river frets away the rocks along its banks. 河水侵蚀了两岸的岩石。
• She frets at even the slightest delays. 稍有延误她就不满。

9 bough   

n.大树枝，主枝

参考例句：

• I rested my fishing rod against a pine bough.我把钓鱼竿靠在一棵松树的大树枝上。
• Every bough was swinging in the wind.每条树枝都在风里摇摆。