| 禱告的操練 | |
| 經文: 「應當一無掛慮，只要凡事藉著禱告、祈求，和感謝，將你們所要的告訴上帝。」（腓立比書四：6）「只等真理的聖靈來了，祂要引導你們明白一切的真理。」（約翰福音十六：13） | |
| 如何禱告？我所能給你有關如何禱告的最好建議，莫過於了解人的本相——原本完美的狀態，後來犯罪墮落，幸有榮耀救恩的預備。常常思想這些事實，將使你不滿目前的光景，檢討己身自私自利的惡念，深願恢復到起初與上帝毫無隔闔的關係；因為惟有藉著禱告，才能有機會讓聖靈光照，看到自己的本相是何等的敗壞、軟弱，並渴望做完全人像上帝那樣。當你禱告時，停下來思想你的心要什麼？對心說話，將一切浮現於腦海的念頭向上帝陳明。 面對苦難、考驗、惡習邪念、靈性乾枯，惟一的克服之道，就是放下自己的掙扎努力，什麼也不做，只單單地依靠上帝，讓祂親自做工來釋放自己。緊緊地抓住這真理，然後順其自然，將所面臨的試探，及內心的不順服，都交託在上帝手中，上帝自然會做奇妙的工作，幫助我們渡過難關和戰勝老我。若我們沒有全心仰望上帝，沒有體會到自己的一無所能，仍抱著一絲希望，以為自己能做些什麼，那麼我們所得到的結果僅僅只有慘敗以及又再向老我屈服。 我們必須承認，我們的禱告實在太少了！我們有這樣寶貴禱告的權柄，可以藉著禱告與上帝溝通親近，但卻常覺得味同嚼蠟，視它為畏途，或視它為例行公事，致終帶不出什麼能力來的。所以，我們首先要學習放下自己，這是第一步，然後真心地求告上帝，把一切希望寄託在上帝身上，這是真實禱告的兩樣要素。讓我們把注意力從自己的需要、人的代求，轉移到上帝的愛和祂的榮耀，那麼禱告將成為一件喜樂的事情，而非一件苦差事；它能帶出我們所需的能力，而非一種有口無心的禱詞；我們所遭遇的苦難，也將成為化妝的祝福，因為這些磨難逼使我們等候上帝。 | |
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| THE PRACTICE OF PRAYER | |
| Scripture: "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."--Philippians 4:6 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:"--John 16:13 | |
| "The best instruction I can give you as helpful or preparatory to the Spirit of Prayer, is already fully given where we have set forth the original perfection, the miserable fall and the glorious redemption of man. It is the true knowledge of these great things which can do all for you which human instruction can do. These things must fill you with a dislike of your present estate, drive all earthly desires out of your soul, and create an honest longing after your first perfection. For prayer can only be taught you by awakening in you a true sense and knowledge of what you are, and what you should be, and filling you with a con¬tinual longing desire of the heart after God, His life and Holy Spirit. When you begin to pray, ask your heart what it wants, and have nothing in your prayer but what the state of your heart puts you upon demanding, saying, or offering to God. "The one and only infallible way to go safely through all the difficulties, trials, dryness or opposition of our evil tempers is this: to expect nothing from ourselves, but in everything expect and depend upon God for relief. Keep fast hold of this thread, and then let your way be what it will, temptation or the rebellion of nature, you will be led through all to a union with God. For nothing hurts us in any state but an expectation of something in it and from it, which we should only expect from God. And thus it will be till the whole turn of our minds is so changed, that we as fully see and know our inability to have any goodness of our own, as to have a life of our own. When we are happily brought to this conviction,-the whole spirit of our mind becomes a true faith and hope and trust in the sole operation of God's Spirit, looking no more to any other power to be formed in Christ new creatures, than we look to any other power for the resurrection of our bodies at the last day." What a universal confession there is that we pray too little. How strange that our highest privilege, holding fellowship with God in prayer, is to so many a burden and a ailure, and to so many more a matter of form without the power. Let us learn the lesson that to expect nothing from ourselves is the first step. And then truly with the heart to expect everything from God. These two thoughts lie at the root of all true prayer. Instead of our thoughts being centred on man, on ourselves and our needs, let them become centred on God in His glory and His love, and prayer will become a joy and a power, and our trials will become our greatest blessing, because they compel us to wait upon God. | |
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