June 30

"There was silence, and I heard a still voice." (Job 4:16, margin)

A score of years ago, a friend placed in my hand a book called True Peace. It was an old mediaeval message, and it had but one thought--that God was waiting in the depths of my being to talk to me if I would only get still enough to hear His voice.

I thought this would be a very easy matter, and so began to get still. But I had no sooner commenced than a perfect pandemonium¹ of voices reached my ears, a thousand clamoring notes from without and within, until I could hear nothing but their noise and din².

Some were my own voices, my own questions, some my very prayers. Others were suggestions of the tempter and the voices from the world's turmoil³.

In every direction I was pulled and pushed and greeted with noisy acclamations and unspeakable unrest. It seemed necessary for me to listen to some of them and to answer some of them; but God said,

"Be still, and know that I am God." Then came the conflict of thoughts for tomorrow, and its duties and cares; but God said, "Be still."

And as I listened, and slowly learned to obey, and shut my ears to every sound, I found after a while that when the other voices ceased, or I ceased to hear them, there was a still small voice in the depths of my being that began to speak with an inexpressible tenderness, power and comfort.

As I listened, it became to me the voice of prayer, the voice of wisdom, the voice of duty, and I did not need to think so hard, or pray so hard, or trust so hard; but that "still small voice" of the Holy Spirit in my heart was God's prayer in my secret soul, was God's answer to all my questions, was God's life and strength for soul and body, and became the substance of all knowledge, and all prayer and all blessing⁴: for it was the living GOD Himself as my life, my all.

It is thus that our spirit drinks in the life of our risen Lord, and we go forth⁵ to life's conflicts and duties like a flower that has drunk in, through the shades of night, the cool and crystal drops of dew. But as dew never falls on a stormy night, so the dews of His grace never come to the restless soul. --A. B. Simpson.

　 六月三十日

“我在静默中，听见有声音”(伯四：16) 。

二十年前，一位朋友送了我一本书，这本书的名字叫作“平安”(True Peace)。其中的信息是说：神在我里面最深处等待着与我谈话，只要我愿意安静下来，就可以听见他的声音。

我想这是一件很容易的事，所以我就开始去安静起来。我一开始，便有一阵喧噪的声浪送进我的耳鼓来，有的是从外面来的，有的是从里面来的，成千的喊声吵得我除了这些闹声以外，听不见一点别的声音。

这些闹声里面有的是我自己的声音，我自己的问句，甚至有我的祷告夹在里面。有的是撒但的控告和世界的喧嚷。

各方面似乎都有声音拉我，推我，大声招呼我，真叫我说不出的不平安。似乎我不能不去听他们，不能不去回答他们。但是神对我说：“要安静，要知道我是神”(诗四十六：10直译)。

我竭力将我的耳朵塞住，不让它去听到任何声音；不久，别的声音一概停止了，我就觉得在我里面最深处，有一个微小的声音开始发声了——啊！这声音里面充满了温柔，能力和安慰。

我听着…听着…从这微小的声音里，神答复了我一切所要问的；这声音竟成了一切智慧和知识的泉源。

如果我们的灵常常这样就饮于主的生命，我们前去工作或争战的时候，便会像一朵曾在夜的荫凉下吸满了露水的花一般新鲜。但是我们不能希望在风雨夜中找到露水，照样，我们也不能希望在纷扰的心绪中找到神的声音。——宣信

1 pandemonium   

n.喧嚣，大混乱

参考例句：

• The whole lobby was a perfect pandemonium,and the din was terrific.整个门厅一片嘈杂，而且喧嚣刺耳。
• I had found Adlai unperturbed in the midst of pandemonium.我觉得艾德莱在一片大混乱中仍然镇定自若。

2 din   

n.喧闹声，嘈杂声

参考例句：

• The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深，喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
• They tried to make themselves heard over the din of the crowd.他们力图让自己的声音盖过人群的喧闹声。

3 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

4 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。

5 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。