2月7日沮喪的操練

但我們素來所盼望……不但如此，……現在已經三天了。（路二十四21）

門徒在這裏講述的都沒有錯；但他們從其中所得的推斷却是錯的。任何叫靈性沮喪的事，必然是錯的。苦悶和沮喪來到，是咎由自取，不必怨天尤人。沮喪頽唐，來源有二，非此即彼：一是我的私欲得到滿足，一是我得不到所欲望的。情欲的意思是必須立刻得著。屬靈的欲望叫我逼神應允我，而不是叫我尋求那位有求必應的神。我一向相信神會怎樣行，到今日——就是此時此刻——已經三天了，他還未動工，我就有理由沮喪，可以怪責神。什麽時候我們要神答允禱告，便已經是走差了。禱告是我們抓住神，而不是抓住禱告的應允。身體健康，便絕不頽喪；頽喪是病態的表現，在屬靈上也是這樣。屬靈的沮喪是錯的，要責怪就責怪自己吧。

我們盼望從天看見异象，從地震、雷轟中搜尋神的大能（我們的沮喪表示我們確是這樣去搜尋），却沒想到神竟一直在最平凡的事物、在我們周遭的人中間。我們若盡上義務，就必看見他。主耶穌的神聖，是在最平凡的事上顯現出來，我們一旦明白這一點，對神就有了最深切的認識。

祈禱◆主啊，在每日繁多的責任中，保守我有平靜的心；藉著你的撫慰和仁慈，使我成爲尊貴。讓我在你裏面得著平靜安穩。

February 7 Spiritual Dejection

We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened —Luke 24:21

Every fact that the disciples stated was right, but the conclusions they drew from those facts were wrong. Anything that has even a hint of dejection spiritually is always wrong. If I am depressed or burdened, I am to blame, not God or anyone else. Dejection stems from one of two sources— I have either satisfied a lust or I have not had it satisfied. In either case, dejection is the result. Lust means “I must have it at once.” Spiritual lust causes me to demand an answer from God, instead of seeking God Himself who gives the answer. What have I been hoping or trusting God would do? Is today “the third day” and He has still not done what I expected? Am I therefore justified in being dejected and in blaming God? Whenever we insist that God should give us an answer to prayer we are off track. The purpose of prayer is that we get ahold of God, not of the answer. It is impossible to be well physically and to be dejected, because dejection is a sign of sickness. This is also true spiritually. Dejection spiritually is wrong, and we are always to blame for it.

We look for visions from heaven and for earth-shaking events to see God's power. Even the fact that we are dejected is proof that we do this. Yet we never realize that all the time God is at work in our everyday events and in the people around us. If we will only obey, and do the task that He has placed closest to us, we will see Him. One of the most amazing revelations of God comes to us when we learn that it is in the everyday things of life that we realize the magnificent deity of Jesus Christ.