12月16日 在神面前摔跤

所以要拿起神所賜的全副軍裝……隨時多方禱告祈求……（弗六13-18）

你要與攔阻你親近神的東西摔跤，為別人禱告時也要摔跤；但千萬不要在禱告中與神摔跤，那是不合聖經真理的。你若真與神摔跤，勢必一生瘸腿。若神給你一些你不想要的東西，就像雅各一樣抓住神，與他摔跤，你就迫使神折斷你的腿骨。不要做阻擋神路的人，要在神面前與世上的事物摔跤，因為借著他“已經得勝有餘”。在神面前摔跤，必在他國度裡見功效。若要我為你代禱，而我在基督裡並不完全的話，禱告就無功效；但若我在基督裡完全，禱告就隨時生效。惟有在完全裡，禱告才有功效——“所以要拿起神所賜的全副軍裝......”

總要分辨什麼是神完美純全的旨意，什麼是他容許發生的事，後者是神藉以完成他在我們身上的計劃。我們不能更改神的旨意，但必須在他面前與一切他容許發生在我們身上的事情摔跤。我們對這些事情的反應，能幫助我們看清楚他在我們身上的旨意。“萬事都互相效力，叫愛神的人得益處”－－這裡指那些忠於神的吩咐和主耶穌恩召人。神容許發生的事情，往往是他用來顯露真正屬他的兒女的一個考驗。我們不卑躬屈就、不加思索地說：“這是神的旨意。”我們不是與神爭鬥或摔跤，乃是與那些事情摔跤。當心不可在神面前怠惰地閑坐，而是勇敢地光榮而戰，你會發現主的能力充滿你。

祈禱◆噢，主啊，倘若我有任何剛強的一面，那只是在你裡面得著的剛強。今天早上，我因想起這話而滿心歡喜－－“你們要靠著主，倚賴他的大能大力作剛強的人。”

December 16 Wrestling Before God

“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God . . . praying always . . . ” Ephesians 6:13, 18

You have to wrestle against the things that prevent you from getting to God, and you wrestle in prayer for other souls; but never say that you wrestle with God in prayer, it is scripturally untrue. If you do wrestle with God, you will be crippled all the rest of your life. If, when God comes in some way you do not want, you take hold of Him as Jacob did and wrestle with Him, you compel Him to put you out of joint. Don't be a hirpler in God's ways, but be one who wrestles before God with things, becoming more than conqueror through Him. Wrestling before God tells in His Kingdom. If you ask me to pray for you and I am not complete in Christ, I may pray but it avails nothing; but if I am complete in Christ my prayer prevails all the time. Prayer is only effective when there is completeness – “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God.”

Always distinguish between God's order and His permissive will, i.e., His providential purpose towards us. God's order is unchangeable; His permissive will is that with which we must wrestle before Him. It is our reaction to the permissive will of God that enables us to get at His order. “All things work together for good to them that love God” – to those who remain true to God's order, to His calling in Christ Jesus. God's permissive will is the means whereby His sons and daughters are to be manifested. We are not to be like jelly-fish saying, “It's the Lord's will.” We have not to put up a fight before God, not to wrestle with God, but to wrestle before God with things. Beware of squatting lazily before God instead of putting up a glorious fight so that you may lay hold of His strength.