December 23

“The journey is too great for thee” (1 King 19:7)

And what did God do with His tired servant? Gave him something good to eat, and put him to sleep. Elijah had done splendid work, and had run alongside of the chariot in his excitement, and it had been too much for his physical strength, and the reaction had come on, and he was depressed¹. The physical needed to be cared for. What many people want is sleep, and the physical ailment² attended to. There are grand men and women who get where Elijah was━under the juniper tree! and it comes very soothingly³ to such to hear the words of the Master: “The journey is too great for thee, and I am going to refresh you.” Let us not confound physical weariness with spiritual weakness. ━Selected

“I’m too tired to trust and too tired to pray,

Said one, as the over-taxed strength gave way.

The one conscious thought by my mind possessed⁴,

Is, oh, could I just drop it all and rest.”

“Will God forgive me, do you suppose,

If I go right to sleep as a baby goes,

Without an asking if I may,

Without ever trying to trust and pray?”

“Will God forgive you? why think, dear heart,

When language to you was an unknown art,

Did a mother deny you needed rest,

Or refuse to pillow your head on her breast?”

“Did she let you want when you could not ask?

Did she set her child an unequal task?

Or did she cradle you in her arms,

And then guard your slumber⁵ against alarms?”

“Ah, how quick was her mother love to see,

The unconscious yearnings of infancy⁶.

When you‘ve grown too tired to trust and pray,

When over-wrought nature has quite given way:

“Then just drop it all, and give up to rest,

As you used to do on a mother's breast,

He knows all about it-the dear Lord knows,

So just go to sleep as a baby goes;”

“Without even asking if you may,

God knows when His child is too tired to pray.

He judges not solely⁷ by uttered prayer,

He knows when the yearnings of love are there.”

“He knows you do pray, He know you do trust,

And He knows, too, the limits of poor weak dust,

Oh, the wonderful sympathy of Christ,

For His chosen ones in that midnight tryst,”

“When He bade them sleep and take their rest,

While on Him the guilt⁸ of the whole world pressed—

You’ve given your life up to Him to keep,

Then don’t be afraid to go right to sleep.”

十二月二十三日

“你当走的路甚远。 （王上十九：7）

　　神怎样对待他疲乏的仆人？给他好东西吃，给他甜蜜睡眠。以利亚曾行了奇妙的神迹，曾奔在亚哈的车子前头，所以他的身体非常疲惫；疲惫的反应就是受压。在这里我们看见：身体的保重是必需的。今天许多神的仆人所缺乏的都是睡眠和调养。有许多属灵的伟人都像以利亚一般━在罗腾树下求死！啊，听哪，这声调何等甘甜：“你当走的路甚远，起来吃吧！”━选

有人在操劳过度后说道:

我已倦得无力信靠和祷告,

我心中存着一个有意识的念头,

啊!我能不能丢开一切而安睡!

你是否想神会不会原谅我,

假如我就像婴孩似的睡眠,

不问一声可不可以让我这样做,

根本不去试试信靠和祷告?

神会不会原谅你?你必这样想,

在你还不会讲话的幼年,

母亲难道不给你所需的休息,

或着拒绝你靠着她怀中安眠!

你不会发问时,她会让你缺乏吗?

她曾否叫孩子做不能胜任的事情?

她岂不曾把你抱在臂弯里,

守护着安睡,不受震惊?

母爱是多么的敏锐,

她洞察婴儿不自觉的愿望。

当你倦得无力信靠和祷告,

当你身体操劳过度而疲乏。

你就把一切丢开,安心休息,

像从前那样,靠在母亲怀中,

祂知道你,亲爱的主知道一切,

你只管像婴孩似的睡觉。

你无需去问可以不可以,

祂知道祂孩子疲倦无力祷告。

祂不仅凭有声的祷告来判断,

何处有爱的渴望,祂都知道。

祂也知道能力微弱的肉身,

对于和祂在午夜相会的选民,

基督俱有多么奇妙的同情。

当祂唤他们去睡觉去休息,

其时全世界的罪恶都由祂承挑,

你已把你的生命交给祂保护,

只管去睡觉,用不着心焦。

1 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

2 ailment   

n.疾病，小病

参考例句：

• I don't have even the slightest ailment.我什么毛病也没有。
• He got timely treatment for his ailment.他的病得到了及时治疗。

3 soothingly   

adv.抚慰地，安慰地；镇痛地

参考例句：

• The mother talked soothingly to her child. 母亲对自己的孩子安慰地说。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He continued to talk quietly and soothingly to the girl until her frightened grip on his arm was relaxed. 他继续柔声安慰那姑娘，她那因恐惧而紧抓住他的手终于放松了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

5 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。

6 infancy   

n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期

参考例句：

• He came to England in his infancy.他幼年时期来到英国。
• Their research is only in its infancy.他们的研究处于初级阶段。

7 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

8 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。