January 22

"Into a desert place apart." (Matt. 14:13)

"There is no music in a rest, but there is the making of music in it." In our whole life-melody the music is broken off here and there by "rests," and we foolishly think we have come to the end of the tune¹. God sends a time of forced leisure, sickness, disappointed plans, frustrated² efforts, and makes a sudden pause in the choral hymn³ of our lives; and we lament⁴ that our voices must be silent, and our part missing in the music which ever goes up to the ear of the Creator. How does the musician read the "rest"? See him beat the time with unvarying count, and catch up the next note true and steady, as if no breaking place had come between.

Not without design does God write the music of our lives. Be it ours to learn the tune, and not be dismayed at the "rests." They are not to be slurred⁵ over, not to be omitted, not to destroy the melody, not to change the keynote. If we look up, God Himself will beat the time for us. With the eye on Him, we shall strike the next note full and clear. If we sadly say to ourselves, "There is no music in a 'rest,'" let us not forget "there is the making of music in it." The making of music is often a slow and painful process in this life. How patiently God works to teach us! How long He waits for us to learn the lesson! – Ruskin

"Called aside—

From the glad working of thy busy life,

From the world's ceaseless stir of care and strife,

Into the shade and stillness by thy Heavenly Guide

For a brief space thou hast been called aside.

"Called aside—

Perhaps into a desert garden dim;

And yet not alone, when thou hast been with Him,

And heard His voice in sweetest accents say:

'Child, wilt⁶ thou not with Me this still hour stay?'

"Called aside—

In hidden paths with Christ thy Lord to tread,

Deeper to drink at the sweet Fountainhead,

Closer in fellowship with Him to roam,

Nearer, perchance, to feel thy Heavenly Home.

"Called aside—

Oh, knowledge deeper grows with Him alone;

In secret of His deeper love is shown,

And learnt in many an hour of dark distress

Some rare, sweet lesson of His tenderness.

"Called aside—

We thank thee for the stillness and the shade;

We thank Thee for the hidden paths Thy love hath made,

And, so that we have wept and watched with Thee,

We thank Thee for our dark Gethsemane.

"Called aside—

Oh, restful thought━He doeth all things well;

Oh, blessed sense, with Christ alone to dwell;

So in the shadow of Thy cross to hide,

We thank Thee, Lord, to have been called aside."

一月二十二日

“退到野地里去” （太十四：13）

　　在音乐谱中有一种符号，叫做休止符。当音乐奏到休止符时，声音完全停止；这常是音乐最精采之处。我们的一生，也如音乐一般，时时有休止符，可是我们顶愚昧，以为这些休止符是我们的末路和尽头，一生就完毕于此。神常叫我们失败，病痛，挫折，失业，我们就非常悲哀，以为我们的人生音乐从此不能再达到造物者的耳中了。可是让我们看，音乐家如何对付这些休止符呢？他们照常击拍，在休止符之后，重奏音乐，一若中间并无甚么间断。

　　神编我们一生的乐章，并非没有计划的。我们只管按谱奏乐，不必怕遇见休止符而恐惶。它们是不能删去的，因为一删去就会破坏音乐的精采。如果我们仰望我们音乐的导师“神” 祂自己正在为我们击拍，我们的本分只是按照祂的指导奏乐；奏到休止符的时候，虽然音乐停止了，可是请记得：这是音乐的精采处。过了一拍子之久，音乐就要从新奏起。让我们学习这功课。━罗斯金

招呼你━

离开忙碌紧张的生活，

离开你不断搅扰的尘世烦腻，

天国的向导招呼你暂到一旁，

在宁静的荫蔽中作片刻休憩。

招呼你━

虽是一所杳无人迹的荒园

但你并不孤独，因为祂与你同在，

祂以最柔美的声调向你问道：

“孩子：你岂不愿意与我共此安静一刻？”

招呼你━

去和主耶稣同步幽深，

溯源一尝甘泉的清澄，

你和祂影形不离，想携漫游，

已经接近了天国的家庭。

招呼你━

和祂单独相处，增进了渊博智慧，

祂的挚爱常在幽秘中显明表征，

在许多寂寞凄凉的夜晚，你将得到

出自祂深情的珍贵良箴。

招呼你━

我们感谢主所赐的宁静和荫蔽，

我们感谢主，祢以爱所辟出的蹊径，

因此我们虽流着泪而注视祢。

感谢主，祢为了我们黑暗的客西马尼。

招呼你━

想到祂完成了一切，我们就获得平安，

和基督单独相处，幸福美好无比，

我们躲在祢十字架的荫影下，

主啊，感谢祢招呼我们在祢一边。

1 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

2 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 hymn   

n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌

参考例句：

• They sang a hymn of praise to God.他们唱着圣歌，赞美上帝。
• The choir has sung only two verses of the last hymn.合唱团只唱了最后一首赞美诗的两个段落。

4 lament   

n.悲叹，悔恨，恸哭；v.哀悼，悔恨，悲叹

参考例句：

• Her face showed lament.她的脸上露出悲伤的样子。
• We lament the dead.我们哀悼死者。

5 slurred   

含糊地说出( slur的过去式和过去分词 )； 含糊地发…的声； 侮辱； 连唱

参考例句：

• She had drunk too much and her speech was slurred. 她喝得太多了，话都说不利索了。
• You could tell from his slurred speech that he was drunk. 从他那含糊不清的话语中你就知道他喝醉了。

6 wilt   

v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱

参考例句：

• Golden roses do not wilt and will never need to be watered.金色的玫瑰不枯萎绝也不需要浇水。
• Several sleepless nights made him wilt.数个不眠之夜使他憔悴。