12月16日
在神面前摔跤
所以要拿起神所赐的全副军装……随时多方祷告祈求……（弗六13-18）
你要与拦阻你亲近神的东西摔跤，为别人祷告时也要摔跤；但千万不要在祷告中与神摔跤，那是不合圣经真理的。你若真与神摔跤，势必一生瘸腿。若神给你一些你不想要的东西，就像雅各一样抓住神，与他摔跤，你就迫使神折断你的腿骨。不要做阻挡神路的人，要在神面前与世上的事物摔跤，因为借着他“已经得胜有余”。在神面前摔跤，必在他国度里见功效。若要我为你代祷，而我在基督里并不完全的话，祷告就无功效；但若我在基督里完全，祷告就随时生效。惟有在完全里，祷告才有功效——“所以要拿起神所赐的全副军装……”
总要分辨什么是神完美纯全的旨意，什么是他容许发生的事，后者是神藉以完成他在我们身上的计划。我们不能更改神的旨意，但必须在他面前与一切他容许发生在我们身上的事情摔跤。我们对这些事情的反应，能帮助我们看清楚他在我们身上的旨意。“万事都互相效力，叫爱神的人得益处”－－这里指那些忠于神的吩咐和主耶稣恩召人。神容许发生的事情，往往是他用来显露真正属他的儿女的一个考验。我们不卑躬屈就、不加思索地说：“这是神的旨意。”我们不是与神争斗或摔跤，乃是与那些事情摔跤。当心不可在神面前怠惰地闲坐，而是勇敢地光荣而战，你会发现主的能力充满你。
祈祷◆噢，主啊，倘若我有任何刚强的一面，那只是在你里面得着的刚强。今天早上，我因想起这话而满心欢喜－－“你们要靠着主，倚赖他的大能大力作刚强的人。”
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.
