June 15

"For God hath made me fruitful in the land of my affliction." (Gen. 41:52)

The summer showers are falling. The poet stands by the window watching them. They are beating and buffeting¹ the earth with their fierce downpour. But the poet sees in his imaginings more than the showers which are falling before his eyes. He sees myriads² of lovely flowers which shall be soon breaking forth³ from the watered earth, filling it with matchless beauty and fragrance⁴. And so he sings:

"It isn't raining rain for me, it's raining daffodils;

In every dimpling drop I see wild flowers upon the hills.

A cloud of gray engulfs⁵ the day, and overwhelms the town;

It isn't raining rain for me: it's raining roses down."

Perchance some one of God's chastened children is even now saying, "O God, it is raining hard for me tonight.

"Testings are raining upon me which seem beyond my power to endure. Disappointments are raining fast, to the utter defeat of all my chosen plans. Bereavements are raining into my life which are making my shrinking heart quiver in its intensity⁷ of suffering. The rain of affliction is surely beating down upon my soul these days."

Withal, friend, you are mistaken. It isn't raining rain for you. It's raining blessing⁸. For, if you will but believe your Father's Word, under that beating rain are springing up spiritual flowers of such fragrance and beauty as never before grew in that stormless, unchastened life of yours.

You indeed see the rain. But do you see also the flowers? You are pained by the testings. But God sees the sweet flower of faith which is upspringing in your life under those very trials.

You shrink from the suffering. But God sees the tender compassion⁹ for other sufferers which is finding birth in your soul.

Your heart winces¹⁰ under the sore bereavement⁶. But God sees the deepening and enriching which that sorrow has brought to you.

It isn't raining afflictions for you. It is raining tenderness, love, compassion, patience, and a thousand other flowers and fruits of the blessed Spirit, which are bringing into your life such a spiritual enrichment as all the fullness of worldly prosperity and ease was never able to beget¹¹ in your innermost soul. --J. M. McC.

SONGS ACROSS THE STORM

"A harp¹² stood in the moveless air,

Where showers of sunshine washed a thousand fragrant¹³ blooms;

A traveler bowed with loads of care

Essayed from morning till the dusk of evening glooms

To thrum sweet sounds from the songless strings¹⁴;

The pilgrim strives in vain with each unanswering chord,

Until the tempest's thunder sings,

And, moving on the storm, the fingers of the Lord

A wondrous¹⁵ melody awakes;

And though the battling winds their soldier deeds perform,

Their trumpet-sound brave music makes

While God's assuring voice sings love across the storm."

　 　 六月十五日

“因他说，神使我在受苦的地方昌盛”（创四十一：52）。

　　一位诗人站在窗口观望夏天的阵雨，那雨点鞭打着大地，势若倾盆。但在诗人的意念中，他不仅看到的眼前这阵雨，而是雨后无数可爱的花卉，不久从潮润的泥土中萌出嫩芽，给大地增添了无比的美丽和芳香。于是他咏吟道：

这不是下雨，而是下水仙；

每一滴雨珠，把一株野花浇灌，

乌云蔽日，大雨不停如注，

这不是下雨，下的是玫瑰满田。

　　也许此刻正有爱神考验的信徒们说：“神啊，各种试炼，如滂沱大雨，落在我身上，我实无力忍受，各种失望急降在我身上，摧毁了我的希冀的所有计划。各种丧失向我生命倾注，使我畏缩的心灵在剧烈的折磨中发抖。这些日子，痛苦正如雨点似打击我的灵魂。”

　　哦；朋友，你错了。这不是给你下雨，而是降福于你。只要你深信天父不疑，那属灵的花朵，正是在雨后开放，你以前未经风雨，亦未受考验的生命，绝对开不出这样芬芳美丽之花来。

你确实看见了雨，但你也看见了花吗？你因受试炼而痛苦。但神看到在这些试炼之下，你的生命正开放出可爱信心之花。

你畏惧痛苦，但神看到。你同情别一个受苦的温爱，正是这痛苦中孕育出来。

你的心因哀痛而萎缩。但神看到，悲哀使你的意念更为深刻，更为丰富。

这不是给你下痛苦之雨。降的是慈爱，同情，忍耐，和一切圣灵之花，圣灵之果；它们给你的生命注入丰富的灵力，俗世的一切荣华安逸，都不能使你心灵深处得到如此的丰满。

静静的空气里，放着一架竖琴，

阳光遍洒，万花缤纷，

一位吟咏诗人心忧如焚，

从早晨到蒙胧的黄昏，

意欲在弦上弹出曼妙之音，

可是这琴声不能协调，力不从心，

直到暴风雨的雷声来临，

耶和华的手指抚弄风云，

激起了一段奇妙旋律之音，

猛烈的风虽如进攻的大军，

它的呼号却奏出了雄壮声音，

暴风雨中传来神慈爱之歌声。

1 buffeting   

振动

参考例句：

• The flowers took quite a buffeting in the storm. 花朵在暴风雨中备受摧残。
• He's been buffeting with misfortunes for 15 years. 15年来，他与各种不幸相博斗。

2 myriads   

n.无数，极大数量( myriad的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Each galaxy contains myriads of stars. 每一星系都有无数的恒星。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sky was set with myriads of stars. 无数星星点缀着夜空。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

4 fragrance   

n.芬芳，香味，香气

参考例句：

• The apple blossoms filled the air with their fragrance.苹果花使空气充满香味。
• The fragrance of lavender filled the room.房间里充满了薰衣草的香味。

5 engulfs   

v.吞没，包住( engulf的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Hemingway suppresses emtion, Wolfe engulfs the reader in feeling. 海明威感情压抑，沃尔夫却把读者卷进感情的漩涡。 来自辞典例句
• Consumption ideological trend engulfs the entire world at present age. 当今时代，消费主义呈现席卷全球之势。 来自互联网

6 bereavement   

n.亲人丧亡，丧失亲人，丧亲之痛

参考例句：

• the pain of an emotional crisis such as divorce or bereavement 诸如离婚或痛失亲人等情感危机的痛苦
• I sympathize with you in your bereavement. 我对你痛失亲人表示同情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

8 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

9 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

10 winces   

避开，畏缩( wince的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He winces at the memory of that experience. 他一回想起那番经历就畏缩起来。
• He winces at the memory of that defeat. 一想到那次失败他就畏缩了。

11 beget   

v.引起；产生

参考例句：

• Dragons beget dragons,phoenixes beget phoenixes.龙生龙，凤生凤。
• Economic tensions beget political ones.经济紧张导致政治紧张。

12 harp   

n.竖琴；天琴座

参考例句：

• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
• He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。

13 fragrant   

adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的

参考例句：

• The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
• The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。

14 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

15 wondrous   

adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地

参考例句：

• The internal structure of the Department is wondrous to behold.看一下国务院的内部结构是很有意思的。
• We were driven across this wondrous vast land of lakes and forests.我们乘车穿越这片有着湖泊及森林的广袤而神奇的土地。