2月7日 沮丧的操练

但我们素来所盼望……不但如此，……现在已经三天了。（路二十四21）

门徒在这里讲述的都没有错；但他们从其中所得的推断却是错的。任何叫灵性沮丧的事，必然是错的。苦闷和沮丧来到，是咎由自取，不必怨天尤人。沮丧颓唐，来源有二，非此即彼：一是我的私欲得到满足，一是我得不到所欲望的。情欲的意思是必须立刻得着。属灵的欲望叫我逼神应允我，而不是叫我寻求那位有求必应的神。我一向相信神会怎样行，到今日——就是此时此刻——已经三天了，他还未动工，我就有理由沮丧，可以怪责神。什么时候我们要神答允祷告，便已经是走差了。祷告是我们抓住神，而不是抓住祷告的应允。身体健康，便绝不颓丧；颓丧是病态的表现，在属灵上也是这样。属灵的沮丧是错的，要责怪就责怪自己吧。

我们盼望从天看见异象，从地震、雷轰中搜寻神的大能（我们的沮丧表示我们确是这样去搜寻），却没想到神竟一直在最平凡的事物、在我们周遭的人中间。我们若尽上义务，就必看见他。主耶稣的神圣，是在最平凡的事上显现出来，我们一旦明白这一点，对神就有了最深切的认识。

祈祷◆主啊，在每日繁多的责任中，保守我有平静的心；藉着你的抚慰和仁慈，使我成为尊贵。让我在你里面得着平静安稳。

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.