9月16日 宗教神圣的领域

你祷告的时候，要进你的内屋，关上门，祷告你在暗中的父。（太六6）

在宗教信仰中，最主要的观念就是仰望神，不仰望人。切不可有这个动机：希望人家知道你时刻祷告。要进入内室，在没有人知道你在祷告的地方，关上门，暗中与神交谈。祷告唯一的动机，就是认识你在天上的父。若要过门徒的生活，就要按时在暗中祷告，此外别无他途。

“你们祷告，不可……用许多重复话。”（第7节）神听我们祷告，并不是因为我们恳切；他并不受我们的迫切诚心打动，他听我们只因他的救赎。祷告并非单单向神求东西，那只是最原始的起点。祷告是与神完全的合一。神的儿子若藉重生成形在我们里面，他必然会超越我们的常理观念，改变我们对所求事物的态度。

“凡祈求的，就得着。”我们祷告时往往用敬虔的术语，可是我们的意志并不在里面，然后我们又怨神不垂听；其实我们根本就没有求什么。耶稣说：“你们要什么，可以求。”求的意思就是我们的意志也在里面。耶稣把小孩子的至纯与祷告相提并论；但我们却发出批判：“好是好的，可是……”。耶稣说：“求吧。”但得记着我们所求于神的必须与主耶稣所彰显神的心意相符。

祈祷◆主啊，今早的“每日亮光”发出何其有力的话语：“要刚强和具有勇气；不要恐惧，也不要丧胆；因为无论你往哪里去，主你的神都会与你在一起。”阿们！哈利路亚！

September 16 The Divine Region Of Religion

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret.” Matthew 6:6

The main idea in the region of religion is – Your eyes upon God, not on men. Do not have as your motive the desire to be known as a praying man. Get an inner chamber in which to pray where no one knows you are praying, shut the door and talk to God in secret. Have no other motive than to know your Father in heaven. It is impossible to conduct your life as a disciple without definite times of secret prayer.

But when ye pray use not vain repetitions . . . (v.7). God does not hear us because we are in earnest, but only on the ground of Redemption. God is never impressed by our earnestness. Prayer is not simply getting things from God, that is a most initial form of prayer; prayer is getting into perfect communion with God. If the Son of God is formed in us by regeneration, He will press forward in front of our common sense and change our attitude to the things about which we pray.

“Everyone that asketh receiveth.” We pray pious blether, our will is not in it, and then we say God does not answer; we never asked for anything. “Ye shall ask what ye will,” said Jesus. Asking means our will is in it. Whenever Jesus talked about prayer, He put it with the grand simplicity of a child: we bring in our critical temper and say – Yes, but . . . Jesus said “Ask.” But remember that we have to ask of God things that are in keeping with the God Whom Jesus Christ revealed.