October 3

"And after the earthquake a fire; and after the fire a sound of gentle stillness" (1 Kings 19:12, RV margin¹.)

A soul, who made rapid progress in her understanding of the Lord, was once asked the secret of her easy advancement². She replied tersely³, "Mind the checks." And the reason that many of us do not know and better understand Him is, we do not give heed⁴ to His gentle checks, His delicate restraints and constraints⁵. His is a still, small voice. A still voice can hardly be heard. It must be felt. A steady, gentle pressure upon the heart and mind like the touch of a morning zephyr⁶ to your face. A small voice, quietly, almost timidly spoken in your heart, but if heeded⁷ growing noiselessly clearer to your inner ear. His voice is for the ear of love, and love is intent upon hearing even faintest whispers.

There comes a time also when love ceases to speak if not responded to, or believed in. He is love, and if you would know Him and His voice, give constant ear to His gentle touches. In conversation, when about to utter some word, give heed to that gentle voice, mind the check and refrain from speech. When about to pursue some course that seems all clear and right and there comes quietly to your spirit a suggestion that has in it the force almost of a conviction, give heed, even if changed plans seem highest folly⁸ from standpoint of human wisdom.

Learn also to wait on God for the unfolding of His will. Let God form your plans about everything in your mind and heart and then let Him execute them. Do not possess any wisdom of your own. For many times His execution will seem so contradictory⁹ to the plan He gave. He will seem to work against Himself. Simply listen, obey and trust God even when it seems highest folly so to do. He will in the end make "all things work together," but so many times in the first appearance of the outworking of His plans.(Rom. 8:28)

So if you would know His voice, never consider results or possible effects. Obey even when He asks you to move in the dark. He Himself will be gloriously light in you. And there will spring up rapidly in your heart an acquaintanceship and a fellowship with God which will be overpowering in itself to hold you and Him together, even in severest testings and under most terrible pressures. ━Way of Faith

十月三日

「地震后有火……火后有微小的声音。」(王上19:12)

有一位姊妹，在明白神旨意这件事上，进步得非常之快；有一次，有人问到她容易进步的秘诀。她简洁地回答道：「注意里面的禁止。」眞的，我们中间许多人不明白神旨意的缘故，就是因为不注意里面圣灵的禁止。圣灵的声音是微小的。一个微小的声音是不容易听见的，但是却能教你觉得━叫你心中觉得一种平稳微小的压力，好像早晨的微风吹在你脸上那样觉得。这种微小的声音，如果你好好注意它，会一次比一次更清楚，一次比一次更容易听的。当我们全心专注在爱人身上的时候，爱人一句顶轻细的耳语，我们很快地就领会了；圣灵的声音就是爱人耳语的声音。

但是如果我们不回答他、不理会他、不相信他，爱人也就会不再说甚么的。神是爱，我们要认识祂和祂的声音，必须时常留心注意。当你与人谈话，正要发言的时候，如果里面有禁止的话，就该立即闭口不言。当你正要进行某种事业━正当的事业━的时候，如果你灵里觉得不平安的话，就该立即改变计划，虽然按照人的智慧来看，这也许是一个顶大的愚眛。

在注意里面的禁止以外，我们还该学习等候神披露祂的旨意。在一切事上让神替你计划、替你执行。不要倚靠你自己的聪明。许多时候神的执行和神的计划似乎相反━祂似乎在反对自己；但是你只要听从、顺服信靠，虽然看上去这似乎是顶愚昧的事。至终，祂必使「万事互相効力，叫爱神的人得益处。」（罗八:28）

所以如果你要认识神的声音，你必须先有一个绝对顺服的存心━不顾结果，不顾成败。就是神要你在暗中前进，你也愿意顺服；因为神自己是你里面荣耀的光辉。这样，你就会更认识神、更亲近神；甚至在最猛烈的试炼下、可怕的压力下，你也会感到神的同在。━译自信心的方法

1 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

2 advancement   

n.前进，促进，提升

参考例句：

• His new contribution to the advancement of physiology was well appreciated.他对生理学发展的新贡献获得高度赞赏。
• The aim of a university should be the advancement of learning.大学的目标应是促进学术。

3 tersely   

adv. 简捷地, 简要地

参考例句：

• Nixon proceeded to respond, mercifully more tersely than Brezhnev. 尼克松开始作出回答了。幸运的是，他讲的比勃列日涅夫简练。
• Hafiz Issail tersely informed me that Israel force had broken the young cease-fire. 哈菲兹·伊斯梅尔的来电简洁扼要，他说以色列部队破坏了刚刚生效的停火。

4 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。

5 constraints   

强制( constraint的名词复数 )； 限制； 约束

参考例句：

• Data and constraints can easily be changed to test theories. 信息库中的数据和限制条件可以轻易地改变以检验假设。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• What are the constraints that each of these imply for any design? 这每种产品的要求和约束对于设计意味着什么？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

6 zephyr   

n.和风，微风

参考例句：

• I feel very comfortable in the zephyr from the sea.从海上吹来的和风令我非常惬意。
• Zephyr,the West Wind,blew away the clouds so that Apollo,the sun god,could shine and made this flower bloom.西风之神吹散了云朵，太阳神阿波罗得以照耀它并使它开花。

7 heeded   

v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的过去式和过去分词 )；变平，使（某物）变平( flatten的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She countered that her advice had not been heeded. 她反驳说她的建议未被重视。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I heeded my doctor's advice and stopped smoking. 我听从医生的劝告，把烟戒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 folly   

n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话

参考例句：

• Learn wisdom by the folly of others.从别人的愚蠢行动中学到智慧。
• Events proved the folly of such calculations.事情的进展证明了这种估计是愚蠢的。

9 contradictory   

adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立

参考例句：

• The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。
• What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。