May 8

"Walking in the midst of the fire." (Daniel 3:25)

The fire did not arrest their motion; they walked in the midst of it. It was one of the streets through which they moved to their destiny. The comfort of Christ's revelation is not that it teaches emancipation¹ from sorrow, but emancipation through sorrow.

O my God, teach me, when the shadows have gathered, that I am only in a tunnel. It is enough for me to know that it will be all right some day.

They tell me that I shall stand upon the peaks of Olivet, the heights of resurrection glory. But I want more, O my Father; I want Calvary to lead up to it. I want to know that the shadows of this world are the shades of an avenue--the avenue to the house of my Father. Tell me I am only forced to climb because Thy house is on the hill! I shall receive no hurt from sorrow if I shall walk in the midst of the fire. --George Matheson.

"'The road is too rough,' I said;

'It is uphill all the way;

No flowers, but thorns instead;

And the skies over head are grey.'

But One took my hand at the entrance dim,

And sweet is the road that I walk with Him.

"The cross is too great,' I cried—

'More than the back can bear,

So rough and heavy and wide,

And nobody by to care.'

And One stooped softly and touched my hand:

'I know. I care. And I understand.'

"Then why do we fret² and sigh;

Cross-bearers all we go:

But the road ends by-and-by

In the dearest place we know,

And every step in the journey we

May take in the Lord's own company."

　 五月八日

“在火中游行”（但三：25）。

　　火并没有制服他们；他们倒在火中游行。那里他们看见了神大能的异迹。神的拯救，不是免去患难的拯救，乃是经过患难的拯救。

　　哦，我的神啊，当黑暗罩住我的时候，求你教导我知道：我不过是暂时在隧道中，不久就会重见天日的。

　　他们告诉我：有一天我将站在橄榄山顶享受复活的荣耀。但是，父啊，我还要向你讨一件东西——我要十字架一步一步领我上去。我要知道这世界的患难是一条进路——一条进入父家的路。求你叫我知道爬山的一段力气是必须花的，因为你的家是在山上！我既能在火中游行，患难怎能伤害我呢？——马得胜

我说这山路崎岖嵯峨，

一直要攀登上坡，

只有荆棘，没有花朵，

阴云如晦，晴少雨多，

但有一位握住我的手，

和他同行轻快尤如投梭。

我说这十字架太大，

我的背脊承受不起，

这么长，这么宽，又这么重，

没有人关心我的苦楚。

他悄悄地屈身对我说；

我关心你，我完全明鉴。

背十字架的人们一同前行

我们何必悲叹忿恨，

不久到了最向往的所在，

艰苦的路终于走完，

要知道旅程中的每一步，

都有主在旁指引向前。

1 emancipation   

n.（从束缚、支配下）解放

参考例句：

• We must arouse them to fight for their own emancipation. 我们必须唤起他们为其自身的解放而斗争。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They rejoiced over their own emancipation. 他们为自己的解放感到欢欣鼓舞。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 fret   

v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损

参考例句：

• Don't fret.We'll get there on time.别着急，我们能准时到那里。
• She'll fret herself to death one of these days.她总有一天会愁死的.