九月十七日

把他帶到我這裏來吧！（可9：19）

那位可憐的父親，失望地從門徒那裏把他的孩子帶到主跟前。他的兒子受到惡鬼的極大折磨，情况至爲凄慘，什麽方法都無效用，但那孩子因著他父親聽從主耶穌的話：“把他帶到我這裏來吧！”不久就脫離了那惡者。

兒女們是神所賜的寶貝，但他們也使父母操心劬勞，擔憂負重。他們或是父母的歡樂，也許成爲父母的重擔和痛苦；他們或被神聖善的靈充滿，也許充滿了惡鬼。不論什麽情形，只要聽從神的話：“把他帶到我這裏來吧！”就能把一切病症治好。父母在他們年幼的時候就當爲他們痛哭流泪地切心禱告！他們有罪，要用我們的禱告來攻除。我們禱告的聲音一定要高過他們來到這個罪惡世界時的呱呱之聲。當他們到了青年時代之後，我們看到聾啞的鬼使他們不會開口禱告，也不會聽神的話，但耶穌仍舊說：“把他帶到我這裏來吧！”他們成人之後，他們或許在罪惡中翻來覆去，口中流沫敵對神；當我們的心被破碎的時候要記得大醫生的話說：“把他帶到我這裏來吧！”若他們還有一口氣，我們就當不停地禱告。只要耶穌活著，無論病情怎樣都不會失望。有時主讓他的民被擠到房角裏，爲的是叫他們實在知道他們必須有主。

不信神的兒女們，當我們無力挽救他們心術的敗壞時，就把我們趕到强壯的神面前祈求他的能力，這是我們的大福氣。今天早晨，不論我們有什麽需要，願它成爲急流把我們帶到神愛的洋海裏。耶穌不久就把我們的憂傷挪去，他喜歡安慰我們。他等待迎接我們，我們要快到他的面前。

September 17

"Bring him unto me." -- Mark 9:19

Despairingly the poor disappointed father turned away from the disciples to their Master. His son was in the worst possible condition, and all means had failed, but the miserable child was soon delivered from the evil one when the parent in faith obeyed the Lord Jesus' word, "Bring him unto me." Children are a precious gift from God, but much anxiety comes with them. They may be a great joy or a great bitterness to their parents; they may be filled with the Spirit of God, or possessed with the spirit of evil. In all cases, the Word of God gives us one receipt for the curing of all their ills, "Bring him unto me." O for more agonizing prayer on their behalf while they are yet babes! Sin is there, let our prayers begin to attack it. Our cries for our offspring should precede those cries which betoken their actual advent into a world of sin. In the days of their youth we shall see sad tokens of that dumb and deaf spirit which will neither pray aright, nor hear the voice of God in the soul, but Jesus still commands, "Bring them unto me." When they are grown up they may wallow in sin and foam with enmity against God; then when our hearts are breaking we should remember the great Physician's words, "Bring them unto me." Never must we cease to pray until they cease to breathe. No case is hopeless while Jesus lives.

The Lord sometimes suffers His people to be driven into a corner that they may experimentally know how necessary He is to them. Ungodly children, when they show us our own powerlessness against the depravity of their hearts, drive us to flee to the strong for strength, and this is a great blessing to us. Whatever our morning's need may be, let it like a strong current bear us to the ocean of divine love. Jesus can soon remove our sorrow, He delights to comfort us. Let us hasten to Him while He waits to meet us.