十一月二十日

主啊！你申明了我的冤。（哀3：58）

先知的話是多麽肯定。他幷不是說：“我盼望，我相信，我有時想，神申明我心中的冤”；他的話乃是無庸置辯的事實：“你申明了我的冤。”讓我們藉著恩惠的安慰者，擺脫一切有礙我們平安和安慰的疑惑和畏懼。願這話作爲我們的禱告，使我們不再發出猜疑和忖度的怨言，而能確切地說出清楚、快樂的話來。

先知的話存著感恩的態度，幷歸榮耀與神！你可以看出他沒有一句話是論到自己或是自己申訴的。他幷不把自己得贖的功勞歸與任何人或是自己，而是“你”——“主啊，你申明了我的冤，你救贖了我的命。”基督徒應當常常培養感恩的心，特別是在得救之後當爲我們的神預備一支歌。全地當成爲一個殿，充滿聖徒感恩的歌聲，每天都當燃點感謝的香，使馨香之氣上騰。

耶利米在記載神的恩典時是非常快樂的。他高聲唱起凱歌！他曾被囚于牢獄之中，就是到現在爲止也沒有一位先知比他流的泪更多；但當我們在他的“哀歌”中聽見耶利米聲聞于天地高歌說：“你申明了我的冤，你救贖了我的命。”就覺得這歌與米利暗的擊鼓頌贊，以及底波拉和巴拉得勝的凱歌是一樣的。神的兒女啊！要追求神的慈愛，當你得到這活生的經驗之後，要肯定談說，要感恩歌頌，要高聲奏凱。

November 20

"O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul."--Lamentations 3:58

Observe how positively the prophet speaks. He doth not say, "I hope, I trust, I sometimes think, that God hath pleaded the causes of my soul;" but he speaks of it as a matter of fact not to be disputed. "Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul." Let us, by the aid of the gracious Comforter, shake off those doubts and fears which so much mar our peace and comfort. Be this our prayer, that we may have done with the harsh croaking voice of surmise and suspicion, and may be able to speak with the clear, melodious voice of full assurance. Notice how gratefully the prophet speaks, ascribing all the glory to God alone! You perceive there is not a word concerning himself or his own pleadings. He doth not ascribe his deliverance in any measure to any man, much less to his own merit; but it is "thou"--"O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life." A grateful spirit should ever be cultivated by the Christian; and especially after deliverances we should prepare a song for our God. Earth should be a temple filled with the songs of grateful saints, and every day should be a censor smoking with the sweet incense of thanksgiving. How joyful Jeremiah seems to be while he records the Lord's mercy. How triumphantly he lifts up the strain! He has been in the low dungeon, and is even now no other than the weeping prophet; and yet in the very book which is called "Lamentations," clear as the song of Miriam when she dashed her fingers against the tabor, shrill as the note of Deborah when she met Barak with shouts of victory, we hear the voice of Jeremy going up to heaven--"Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life." O children of God, seek after a vital experience of the Lord's lovingkindness, and when you have it, speak positively of it; sing gratefully; shout triumphantly.