June 24

"Concerning the work of my hands command ye me." (Isa. 45:11)

Our Lord spoke¹ in this tone when He said, "Father, I will." Joshua used it when, in the supreme² moment of triumph, he lifted up his spear toward the setting sun, and cried, "Sun, stand thou still!"

Elijah used it when he shut the heavens for three years and six months, and again opened them.

Luther used it when, kneeling by the dying Melanchthon, he forbade death to take his prey³.

It is a marvelous relationship into which God bids us enter. We are familiar with words like those which follow in this paragraph: "I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded." But that God should invite us to command Him, this is a change in relationship which is altogether startling!

What a difference there is between this attitude and the hesitating, halting, unbelieving prayers to which we are accustomed, and which by their perpetual repetition lose edge and point!

How often during His earthly life did Jesus put men into a position to command Him! When entering Jericho, He stood still, and said to the blind beggars:

"What will ye that I shall do unto you?" It was as though He said, "I am yours to command."

Can we ever forget how He yielded to the Syrophenician woman the key to His resources and told her to help herself even as she would?

What mortal mind can realize the full significance of the position to which our God lovingly raises His little children? He seems to say, "All my resources are at your command." "Whatsoever⁴ ye shall ask in my name, that will I do." --F. B. Meyer.

Say to this mountain, "Go,

Be cast into the sea";

And doubt not in thine heart

That it shall be to thee.

It shall be done, doubt not His Word,

Challenge thy mountain in the Lord!

Compass the frowning wall

With silent prayer, then raise--

Before its ramparts fall--

The victor's shout of praise.

It shall be done, faith rests assured,

Challenge thy mountain in the Lord!

The two-leaved gates of brass⁵,

The bars of iron yield,

To let the faithful pass,

Conquerors⁶ in every field.

It shall be done, the foe⁷ ignored,

Challenge thy mountain in the Lord!

Take then the faith of God,

Free from the taint⁸ of doubt;

The miracle-working rod

That casts all reasoning out.

It shall be done, stand on the Word,

Challenge thy mountain in the Lord!

--Selected.

　 六月二十四日

“……我手的工作，你们可以吩咐我”（赛四十五：11）。

　　神说：“你们可以吩咐我”。这是何等的权利！我们可以吩咐神吗？可以。主耶稣在世的时候，曾享受过这样的权利；约书亚，马丁路得…都曾享受过这样的权利。

　　约书亚在大获胜利的时候，举起他的枪来对着将落的日头，大声喊叫说：“日头啊，你要停在基遍”（书十：12）。他说话的语气多么勇敢！多有把握！

　　以利亚三年零六个月封闭了天——使天闭塞不下雨；然后，又将天打开——求下雨来。他在神面前是多么勇敢！

　　马丁路得跪在将死的麦兰基登(Melanchthon)旁边，大声禁止死神夺去他亲爱的朋友。他又是多么勇敢呢！

　　亲爱的读者，神允许我们与他发生了多么奇妙的关系！我们平常只知道神曾说过：“我亲手铺张诸天，天上万象也是我所命定的”（赛四十五：12）。但是现在我们却看见神叫我们去吩咐神！命令神！这是颠倒次序！多么奇怪呢！

　 我们平常祷告的态度——狐疑，踌躇，不信——和主耶稣、约书亚、以利亚、马丁路得…祷告的态度——坚决，勇敢，深信——是多么不同啊！我们的祷告时常会变成重复，以致失去锐利。

　 主耶稣在世的时候，常给人们机会去吩咐他！当他将近耶利哥的时候，站住，问那讨饭的瞎子说：

“你要我为你做什么”？（路十八：41）他似乎说：“你可以吩咐我”。

我们当然不会忘记，主如何接受希利尼妇人的祈求，告诉她可以如愿以偿。（可七：26）

　 人类有限的头脑，怎能领会慈爱的父神所给我们的地位呢？神似乎说：“我一切所有的，你们可以吩咐。”“你们奉我的名，无论求什么，我必成就”（约十四：13）。——梅尔

对这山说：“快快移开

投在海里”。

倘若一点没有怀疑，

山就会移到海底。

只要信，事必成就，

凭主扫除这一块污泥。

围绕那坚固的城堡，

作默默的祈祷，

发出赞美的欢呼，

堡垒会立刻塌倒。

只要信，事必成就，

凭主把山投入白浪洪涛。

毁弃铁的栏栅，

打开那紧闭的双扉，

让信徒们通过，

到处获得全胜，

这事必成，仇敌于我何有？

凭主叫山移开此地。

把握忠于神的坚信，

丝毫不留一点疑义，

那根行奇迹的杖，

能驱除意念之间的障碍。

接受神的话，事必成就，

凭主叫山移开此地。

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

3 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

4 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

5 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

6 conquerors   

征服者，占领者( conqueror的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Danes had selfconfidence of conquerors, and their security precautions were casual. 这些丹麦人具有征服者的自信，而且他们的安全防卫也是漫不经心的。
• The conquerors believed in crushing the defeated people into submission, knowing that they could not win their loyalty by the victory. 征服者们知道他们的胜利并不能赢得失败者的忠心，于是就认为只有通过武力才能将他们压服。

7 foe   

n.敌人，仇敌

参考例句：

• He knew that Karl could be an implacable foe.他明白卡尔可能会成为他的死敌。
• A friend is a friend;a foe is a foe;one must be clearly distinguished from the other.敌是敌，友是友，必须分清界限。

8 taint   

n.污点；感染；腐坏；v.使感染；污染

参考例句：

• Everything possible should be done to free them from the economic taint.应尽可能把他们从经济的腐蚀中解脱出来。
• Moral taint has spread among young people.道德的败坏在年轻人之间蔓延。