May 5

"When they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushments...and they were smitten¹." (2 Chron. 20:22)

Oh, that we could reason less about our troubles, and sing and praise more! There are thousands of things that we wear as shackles² which we might use as instruments with music in them, if we only knew how.

Those men that ponder, and meditate³, and weigh the affairs of life, and study the mysterious developments of God's providence⁴, and wonder why they should be burdened and thwarted⁵ and hampered--how different and how much more joyful⁶ would be their lives, if, instead of forever indulging in self-revolving and inward thinking, they would take their experiences, day by day, and lift them up, and praise God for them.

We can sing our cares away easier than we can reason them away. Sing in the morning. The birds are the earliest to sing, and birds are more without care than anything else that I know of.

Sing at evening. Singing is the last thing that robins⁷ do. When they have done their daily work; when they have flown their last flight, and picked up their last morsel⁸ of food, then on a topmost twig⁹, they sing one song of praise.

Oh, that we might sing morning and evening, and let song touch song all the way through. –Selected.

"Don't let the song go out of your life

Though it chance sometimes to flow

In a minor¹⁰ strain; it will blend again

With the major tone you know.

"What though shadows rise to obscure life's skies,

And hide for a time the sun,

The sooner they'll lift and reveal the rift¹¹,

If you let the melody run.

"Don't let the song go out of your life;

Though the voice may have lost its trill,

Though the tremulous note may die in your throat,

Let it sing in your spirit still.

"Don't let the song go out of your life;

Let it ring in the soul while here;

And when you go hence, 'twill follow you thence,

And live on in another sphere."

　 五月五日

“众人方唱歌赞美的时候，耶和华就派伏兵击杀…他们就被打败了”（代志下二十：22）。

　　哦，但愿我们少为忧虑操心，多多赞美！一切的事物，对我们的像桎梧，又如枷锁，假若我们知道如何去运动，就都可以成了音韵悦耳的乐器。

　　那些为人生的遭遇，常千思百虑，操心挂念，并且揣测神的旨意如何发展，他们为什么负累重重，遭受挫折和阻碍呢？假若他们不要沉溺于患得患失的内心无谓的筹划中，他们的生活将大为改观，有更多的快乐得着，并承受天天加增的生活经历，喜乐的心，将赞美献给神。

　　也应当在晚间歌唱。知更雀每晚最后一件工作就是歌唱，当它们做完了一天的工作，飞完了最后一次任务，捡起了最后一颗食粮，便停住在树枝的高处，唱出赞美的歌声。

　　哦，巴不得我们早晨也唱，晚间也唱，每天的生活中充满了歌唱赞美！

不要让歌唱脱离你的生活，

有时声调虽然失却铿锵，

如咽如哽，它终会恢复美畅，

响遏行云，婉转绕樑。

即使降云升起，一时遮掩太阳，

蒙蔽了生命的辉煌，

只要你颂赞歌唱，

阴云就会飘散，露出阳光。

不要让歌唱脱离你的生活，

嗓子虽会喑哑不畅，

震颤的音符在喉头阻梗，

你要继续在灵里歌唱。

不要让歌唱脱离你的生活，

在此世上让歌声充满你的灵；

将来它会随你而去，

在另一个世界获得新生。

1 smitten   

猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去分词 )

参考例句：

• From the moment they met, he was completely smitten by her. 从一见面的那一刻起，他就完全被她迷住了。
• It was easy to see why she was smitten with him. 她很容易看出为何她为他倾倒。

2 shackles   

手铐( shackle的名词复数 )； 脚镣； 束缚； 羁绊

参考例句：

• a country struggling to free itself from the shackles of colonialism 为摆脱殖民主义的枷锁而斗争的国家
• The cars of the train are coupled together by shackles. 火车的车厢是用钩链连接起来的。

3 meditate   

v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想

参考例句：

• It is important to meditate on the meaning of life.思考人生的意义很重要。
• I was meditating,and reached a higher state of consciousness.我在冥想，并进入了一个更高的意识境界。

4 providence   

n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝

参考例句：

• It is tempting Providence to go in that old boat.乘那艘旧船前往是冒大险。
• To act as you have done is to fly in the face of Providence.照你的所作所为那样去行事，是违背上帝的意志的。

5 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。

6 joyful   

adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的

参考例句：

• She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
• They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。

7 robins   

n.知更鸟，鸫( robin的名词复数 )；（签名者不分先后，以避免受责的）圆形签名抗议书（或请愿书）

参考例句：

• The robins occupied their former nest. 那些知更鸟占了它们的老窝。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Benjamin Robins then entered the fray with articles and a book. 而后，Benjamin Robins以他的几篇专论和一本书参加争论。 来自辞典例句

8 morsel   

n.一口，一点点

参考例句：

• He refused to touch a morsel of the food they had brought.他们拿来的东西他一口也不吃。
• The patient has not had a morsel of food since the morning.从早上起病人一直没有进食。

9 twig   

n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解

参考例句：

• He heard the sharp crack of a twig.他听到树枝清脆的断裂声。
• The sharp sound of a twig snapping scared the badger away.细枝突然折断的刺耳声把獾惊跑了。

10 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

11 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。