May 13

"We know not what we should pray for as we ought." (Rom. 8:26)

Much that perplexes us in our Christian¹ experience is but the answer to our prayers. We pray for patience, and our Father sends those who tax us to the utmost; for "tribulation² worketh patience."

We pray for submission³, and God sends sufferings; for "we learn obedience⁴ by the things we suffer."

We pray for unselfishness, and God gives us opportunities to sacrifice ourselves by thinking on the things of others, and by laying down our lives for the brethren.

We pray for strength and humility⁵, and some messenger of Satan torments⁶ us until we lie in the dust crying for its removal.

We pray, "Lord, increase our faith," and money takes wings; or the children are alarmingly ill; or a servant comes who is careless, extravagant⁷, untidy or slow, or some hitherto unknown trial calls for an increase of faith along a line where we have not needed to exercise much faith before.

We pray for the Lamb-life, and are given a portion of lowly service, or we are injured and must seek no redress⁸; for "he was led as a lamb to the slaughter⁹ and … opened not his mouth."

We pray for gentleness, and there comes a perfect storm of temptation to harshness and irritability¹⁰. We pray for quietness, and every nerve is strung to the utmost tension, so that looking to Him we may learn that when He giveth quietness, no one can make trouble.

We pray for love, and God sends peculiar¹¹ suffering and puts us with apparently¹² unlovely people, and lets them say things which rasp the nerves and lacerate the heart; for love suffereth long and is kind, love is not impolite, love is not provoked. LOVE BEARETH ALL THINGS, believeth, hopeth and endureth, love never faileth. We pray for likeness¹³ to Jesus, and the answer is, "I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." "Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong?" "Are ye able?"

The way to peace and victory is to accept every circumstance, every trial, straight from the hand of a loving Father; and to live up in the heavenly places, above the clouds, in the very presence of the Throne, and to look down from the Glory upon our environment as lovingly and divinely appointed. –Selected.

I prayed for strength, and then I lost awhile

All sense of nearness, human and divine;

The love I leaned on failed and pierced my heart,

The hands I clung to loosed themselves from mine;

But while I swayed, weak, trembling, and alone,

The everlasting¹⁴ arms upheld my own.

I prayed for light; the sun went down in clouds,

The moon was darkened by a misty¹⁵ doubt,

The stars of heaven were dimmed by earthly fears,

And all my little candle flames burned out;

But while I sat in shadow, wrapped in night,

The face of Christ made all the darkness bright.

I prayed for peace, and dreamed of restful ease,

A slumber¹⁶ drugged from pain, a hushed repose¹⁷;

Above my head the skies were black with storm,

And fiercer grew the onslaught of my foes¹⁸;

But while the battle raged, and wild winds blew,

I heard His voice and perfect peace I knew.

I thank Thee, Lord, Thou wert too wise to heed¹⁹

My feeble prayers, and answer as I sought,

Since these rich gifts Thy bounty²⁰ has bestowed²¹

Have brought me more than all I asked or thought;

Giver of good, so answer each request

With Thine own giving, better than my best.

--Annie Johnson Flint

　 　 五月十三日

“我们本不晓得怎样祷告”（罗八：26）。

神给我们的祷告的答应，常出我们意外。我们求忍耐，神却给我们患难；因为“患难生忍耐”（罗五:3）。

　我们求顺服，神却给我们苦难，好使我们“因所受的苦难学了顺从”（来五：8）。

　　我们求不利己，神却给我们牺牲自己的机会，想念别人，为弟兄舍命。

　　我们求能力和谦卑，神却给我们撒但的苦害。直到我们躺在尘土里求告他。

　　我们“求主加增我们的信心”（路十七：5），神却使我们伤财，害病，失业，遭难，逼我们比以前更运用信心。

　　我们求羔羊的生命，神却给我们最低微的职业，使我们受逼迫，因为“他像羊羔被牵到宰杀之地…不开口“（赛五十三：7）。

　　我们求温柔，神却给我们许多惹厌和激怒的东西。我们求安静，神却使我们每一根神经都紧张起来了，好叫我们到他那里去寻求安息。

　　我们求爱心，神却放我们在最不可爱的人中，让他们刺激我们的神经，刺伤我们的赤心；因为爱是恒久忍耐，又有恩慈，爱是不求自己的益处，爱是不轻易发怒。爱是凡事包容，凡事相信，凡事盼望，凡事忍耐。爱是永不止息。

　　得胜和得安息的方法，就是直接从爱父的手中接受他所给你的每一个环境，每一个试炼；而享受其中互相效力的益处。——选

我祈求的力量却丧失了一段时间，

就是与神之间亲密的联系，

我所倚靠的爱，使我失望，伤透了心，

我所攀住的手好像松开，把我抛弃，

可是当我摇晃软弱颤抖孤独的时候，

神立刻援手，把我挽住，免我颠蹶。

我祈求的光明，但太阳没入了云层，

怀疑的雾，遮掩了月亮的光明，

尘世的忧虑，蒙蔽了天上的星星，

我微弱的烛焰将告熄灭；

正当被黑暗所包围的时候，

基督圣荣的光辉，消散一切幽冥。

我祈求和平，也梦想恬静，

如疼痛后的沉睡甜息安宁；

忽然狂风暴雨从天边袭来，

敌人的攻击，更见可怕狰狞；

正当战争激烈，狂风怒号之时，

我听见他的声音，就知美满和平。

我卑微的祷告，渺小的祈求，

在全智的主，原可不值得垂听，

可是我感谢你所赐的丰盛，

超过了我的想象与希望，

赐恩的主，你对于每一个祈求，

必以恩典来答复我们的翘首。

——富林德

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 tribulation   

n.苦难，灾难

参考例句：

• Even in our awful tribulation we were quite optimistic.即使在极端痛苦时，我们仍十分乐观。
• I hate the tribulation,I commiserate the sorrow brought by tribulation.我厌恶别人深重的苦难，怜悯苦难带来的悲哀。

3 submission   

n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出

参考例句：

• The defeated general showed his submission by giving up his sword.战败将军缴剑表示投降。
• No enemy can frighten us into submission.任何敌人的恐吓都不能使我们屈服。

4 obedience   

n.服从，顺从

参考例句：

• Society has a right to expect obedience of the law.社会有权要求人人遵守法律。
• Soldiers act in obedience to the orders of their superior officers.士兵们遵照上级军官的命令行动。

5 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。

6 torments   

（肉体或精神上的）折磨，痛苦( torment的名词复数 )； 造成痛苦的事物[人]

参考例句：

• He released me from my torments. 他解除了我的痛苦。
• He suffered torments from his aching teeth. 他牙痛得难受。

7 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。

8 redress   

n.赔偿，救济，矫正；v.纠正，匡正，革除

参考例句：

• He did all that he possibly could to redress the wrongs.他尽了一切努力革除弊端。
• Any man deserves redress if he has been injured unfairly.任何人若蒙受不公平的损害都应获得赔偿。

9 slaughter   

n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀

参考例句：

• I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
• Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。

10 irritability   

n.易怒

参考例句：

• It was the almost furtive restlessness and irritability that had possessed him. 那是一种一直纠缠着他的隐秘的不安和烦恼。
• All organisms have irritability while alive. 所有生物体活着时都有应激性。

11 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

12 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

13 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。

14 everlasting   

adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的

参考例句：

• These tyres are advertised as being everlasting.广告上说轮胎持久耐用。
• He believes in everlasting life after death.他相信死后有不朽的生命。

15 misty   

adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的

参考例句：

• He crossed over to the window to see if it was still misty.他走到窗户那儿，看看是不是还有雾霭。
• The misty scene had a dreamy quality about it.雾景给人以梦幻般的感觉。

16 slumber   

n.睡眠，沉睡状态

参考例句：

• All the people in the hotels were wrapped in deep slumber.住在各旅馆里的人都已进入梦乡。
• Don't wake him from his slumber because he needs the rest.不要把他从睡眠中唤醒，因为他需要休息。

17 repose   

v.(使)休息；n.安息

参考例句：

• Don't disturb her repose.不要打扰她休息。
• Her mouth seemed always to be smiling,even in repose.她的嘴角似乎总是挂着微笑，即使在睡眠时也是这样。

18 foes   

敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They steadily pushed their foes before them. 他们不停地追击敌人。
• She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes. 她身经百战，挫败过很多对手。

19 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

20 bounty   

n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与

参考例句：

• He is famous for his bounty to the poor.他因对穷人慷慨相助而出名。
• We received a bounty from the government.我们收到政府给予的一笔补助金。

21 bestowed   

赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was a title bestowed upon him by the king. 那是国王赐给他的头衔。
• He considered himself unworthy of the honour they had bestowed on him. 他认为自己不配得到大家赋予他的荣誉。