April 9

"All these things are against me." (Gen. 42:36)

"All things work together for good to them that love God." (Rom. 8:28)

Many people are wanting power. Now how is power produced? The other day we passed the great works where the trolley¹ engines are supplied with electricity. We heard the hum and roar of the countless² wheels, and we asked our friend,

"How do they make the power?"

"Why," he said, "just by the revolution of those wheels and the friction³ they produce. The rubbing creates the electric current."

And so, when God wants to bring more power into your life, He brings more pressure. He is generating spiritual force by hard rubbing. Some do not like it and try to run away from the pressure, instead of getting the power and using it to rise above the painful causes.

Opposition⁴ is essential to a true equilibrium⁵ of forces. The centripetal⁶ and centrifugal forces acting⁷ in opposition to each other keep our planet in her orbit. The one propelling, and the other repelling⁸, so act and re-act, that instead of sweeping⁹ off into space in a pathway of desolation, she pursues her even orbit around her solar centre.

So God guides our lives. It is not enough to have an impelling¹⁰ force--we need just as much a repelling force, and so He holds us back by the testing ordeals¹¹ of life, by the pressure of temptation and trial, by the things that seem against us, but really are furthering our way and establishing our goings.

Let us thank Him for both, let us take the weights as well as the wings, and thus divinely impelled¹², let us press on with faith and patience in our high and heavenly calling. --A. B. Simpson.

In a factory building there are wheels and gearings,

There are cranks and pulleys, beltings tight or slack--

Some are whirling swiftly, some are turning slowly,

Some are thrusting forward, some are pulling back;

Some are smooth and silent, some are rough and noisy,

Pounding, rattling¹³, clanking, moving with a jerk;

In a wild confusion in a seeming chaos¹⁴,

Lifting, pushing, driving--but they do their work.

From the mightiest¹⁵ lever to the tiniest pinion¹⁶,

All things move together for the purpose planned;

And behind the working is a mind controlling,

And a force directing, and a guiding hand.

So all things are working for the Lord's beloved;

Some things might be hurtful if alone they stood;

Some might seem to hinder; some might draw us backward;

But they work together, and they work for good,

All the thwarted¹⁷ longings¹⁸, all the stern denials,

All the contradictions, hard to understand.

And the force that holds them, speeds them and retards¹⁹ them,

Stops and starts and guides them--is our Father's hand.

--Annie Johnson Flint.　

　 四月九日

“这些事都归到我身上了”（创四十二：36节）。

“万事都互相效力，叫爱神的人得益处”（罗八：28）。

　　许多信徒都在求能力。能力是怎样产生的呢？有一天我们参观电机厂，听见无数的机轮发出轧轧的机声来，我们就问里边的人说，“电力究竟是如何产生的呢？”他说，“轮与轮转动，就生磨擦。磨擦就生电力”。

　　同样的道理，当神要给你更多的能力时，他就给你更多的难处给你起磨擦。可惜许多人不喜欢磨擦，反要逃避磨擦，因此失去了得能力的机会。

　　凡事都有正有反，正与反乃是平衡力量的要素。向心力和离心力互相对峙的缘故，遂能使行星在轨道上行动。一个推进，一个拉回，才会不使它越出轨道，而能绕着太阳安全运行。

　　神也这样管理我们的生命。只有前进的力是不够的，我们还需要一个拉回的力，所以神给我们一些试验，一些反对我们的重压；其实这些东西都是帮助我们前进的。

　　让我们感谢他；让我们欢迎他给我们的重压，像欢迎他给我们的翅膀一样；让我们用信心和忍耐来前进。什么地方有磨擦，什么地方就有能力。——信宣

一所工厂里有机器和齿轮，

有曲杆与滑车，还有皮带或紧或松，

有的旋转如飞，有的慢慢滚动，

有的往后拉，有的向前推，

有的光滑无声，有的粗糙喧嚷，

碰，撞，弹，跳，铿锵作声。

在一个似若纷乱的混沌中，

忽升忽降忽推忽拉都是作工，

从最大的杠杆到最小的齿轮，

都是为预定的目标配合行动；

在动作的背后，有意志在控制，

有权力在指挥，有一只手在操纵。

一切东西都在为主所爱的人作工，

若把它们单独分开，有的可能为害；

有的似若阻碍；有的可能把我拖倒；

但它们互相效力，为了使我们得益。

一切受挫的愿望，一切严厉的拒斥，

一切难以了解的矛盾龃龉。

它们的前进后退，开始和停止，

都有我们天父的力量在控制。

1 trolley   

n.手推车，台车；无轨电车；有轨电车

参考例句：

• The waiter had brought the sweet trolley.侍者已经推来了甜食推车。
• In a library,books are moved on a trolley.在图书馆，书籍是放在台车上搬动的。

2 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

3 friction   

n.摩擦，摩擦力

参考例句：

• When Joan returned to work,the friction between them increased.琼回来工作后，他们之间的摩擦加剧了。
• Friction acts on moving bodies and brings them to a stop.摩擦力作用于运动着的物体，并使其停止。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 equilibrium   

n.平衡，均衡，相称，均势，平静

参考例句：

• Change in the world around us disturbs our inner equilibrium.我们周围世界的变化扰乱了我们内心的平静。
• This is best expressed in the form of an equilibrium constant.这最好用平衡常数的形式来表示。

6 centripetal   

adj.向心的

参考例句：

• After some treatment of centripetal force,he deduces Kepler's third law.在向心力的一些论述之后，他推出了开普勒的第三定律。
• It is called the centripetal acceleration.这叫做向心加速度。

7 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

8 repelling   

v.击退( repel的现在分词 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开

参考例句：

• He saw himself standing up and repelling a charge. 他仿佛看见自己挺身而起，打退了敌人的进攻。 来自辞典例句
• Promote the healthy entertainment styles. Repelling the superstition, gambling, drugs and obscenity. 提倡健康娱乐。抵制封建迷信活动，拒绝黄、赌、毒。 来自互联网

9 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？

10 impelling   

adj.迫使性的，强有力的v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Impelling-binding mechanism is the micro foundation of venture capital operation. 激励约束机制是创业投资运作的微观基础。 来自互联网
• Impelling supervision is necessary measure of administrative ethic construction. 强有力的监督是行政伦理建设的重要保证。 来自互联网

11 ordeals   

n.严峻的考验，苦难的经历( ordeal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• London had stood triumphant through all her ordeals. 伦敦在经历考验之后仍巍然屹立。 来自辞典例句
• He's come through some bad personal ordeals. 他个人经历了一些沉痛的考验。 来自辞典例句

12 impelled   

v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He felt impelled to investigate further. 他觉得有必要作进一步调查。
• I feel impelled to express grave doubts about the project. 我觉得不得不对这项计划深表怀疑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 rattling   

adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词

参考例句：

• This book is a rattling good read. 这是一本非常好的读物。
• At that same instant,a deafening explosion set the windows rattling. 正在这时，一声震耳欲聋的爆炸突然袭来，把窗玻璃震得当当地响。

14 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

15 mightiest   

adj.趾高气扬( mighty的最高级 )；巨大的；强有力的；浩瀚的

参考例句：

• \"If thou fearest to leave me in our cottage, thou mightiest take me along with thee. “要是你害怕把我一个人留在咱们的小屋里，你可以带我一块儿去那儿嘛。 来自英汉文学 - 红字
• Silent though is, after all, the mightiest agent in human affairs. 确实，沉默毕竟是人类事件中最强大的代理人。 来自互联网

16 pinion   

v.束缚；n.小齿轮

参考例句：

• At nine the next morning Bentley was pinioned,hooded and hanged.次日上午9点，本特里被捆住双臂，戴上头罩，然后绞死了。
• Why don't you try tightening the pinion nut first?你为什么不先扭紧小齿轮的螺帽？

17 thwarted   

阻挠( thwart的过去式和过去分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过

参考例句：

• The guards thwarted his attempt to escape from prison. 警卫阻扰了他越狱的企图。
• Our plans for a picnic were thwarted by the rain. 我们的野餐计划因雨受挫。

18 longings   

渴望，盼望( longing的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ah, those foolish days of noble longings and of noble strivings! 啊，那些充满高贵憧憬和高尚奋斗的傻乎乎的时光！
• I paint you and fashion you ever with my love longings. 我永远用爱恋的渴想来描画你。

19 retards   

使减速( retard的第三人称单数 )； 妨碍； 阻止； 推迟

参考例句：

• Cold weather retards the growth of the crops. 寒冷的天气妨碍作物的生长。
• Lack of science and education retards social progress. 缺乏科学和教育会妨碍社会进步。