[分享]Streams In the Desert for Nov. 25

Li_ebo

 

Streams In the Desert for Nov. 25

Streams In the Desert for Nov. 25

“Take the arrows…Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times.” (2 Kings 13:18, 19.)

How striking and eloquent the message of these words! Jehoash thought he had done very well when he duplicated and triplicated what to him was certainly an extraordinary act of faith. But the Lord and the prophet were bitterly disappointed because he had stopped half way.

He got something. He got much. He got exactly what he believed for in the final test, but he did not get all that the prophet meant and the Lord wanted to bestow. He missed much of the meaning of the promise and the fullness of the blessing. He got something better than the human, but he did not get God’s best.

Beloved, how solemn is the application! How heartsearching the message of God to us! How important that we should learn to pray through! Shall we claim all the fullness of the promise and all the possibilities of believing prayer?---A. B. Simpson.

“Unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.” (Eph. 3:20.)

There is no other such piling up of words in Paul’s writings as these, “exceeding abundantly above all,” and each word is packed with infinite love and power to “do” for His praying saints. There is one limitation, “according to the power that worketh in us.” He will do just as much for us as we let Him do in us. The power that saved us, washed us with His own blood, filled us with might by His Spirit, kept us in manifold temptations, will work for us, meeting every emergency, every crisis, every circumstance, and every adversary. --- The Alliance.

Li_ebo

 

Streams In the Desert for Nov. 26

Streams In the Desert for Nov. 26

“And Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou? Who answered, give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs. (Joshua 15:18, 19.)

There are both upper and nether springs. They are springs, not stagnant pools. There are joys and blessings that flow from above through the hottest summer and the most desert land of sorrow and trial. 　The lands of Achsah were “south lands.” Lying under a burning sun and often parched with burning heat. But from the hills came the unfailing springs, that cooled, refreshed and fertilized all the land.

There are springs that flow in the low places of life, in the hard places, in the desert places, in the lone places, in the common places, and no matter what may be our situation, we can always find these upper springs.

Abraham found them amid the hill of Canaan. Moses found them among the rocks of Midian. David found them among the ashes of Ziklag when his property was gone, his family captives and his people talks of stoning him, but “David encouraged himself in the Lord.”

Habakkuk found them when the fig tree was withered and the fields were brown, but as he drank from them he could sing: “Yet will I rejoice in the Lord and joy in the God of my salvation.”

Isaiah found them in the awful days of Sennacherib’s invasion, when the mountains seemed hurled into the midst of the sea, but faith could sing: “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God. God is in the midst of her: she shall not be moved.”

The martyrs found them amid the flames, and reformers amid their foes and conflicts, and we can find them all the year if we have the Comforter in our hearts and have learned to say with David: “All my springs are in thee.”

How many and how precious these springs, and how much more there is to be possessed of God’s own fullness! --- A. B. Simpson.

I said: “The desert is so wide!” I said: “The desert is so bare! What springs to quench my thirst are there? Whence shall I from the tempest hide?”

I heard a flow of hidden spring; Before me palms rose green and fair; The birds were singing; all the air Did shine and stir with angels’ wings!

And One said mildly: “Why, indeed, Take over-anxious thought for that The morrow bringeth! See younot The Father knoweth what you need?”
--- Selected.

Li_ebo

 

Streams In the Desert for Nov. 27

Streams In the Desert for Nov. 27

“For with God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37.)

Far up in the Alpine hollows, year by year God works one of His marvels. The snow-patches lie there, frozen with ice at their edge from the strife of sunny days and frosty nights; and through that ice-crust come, unscathed, flowers that bloom.

Back in the days of the by-gone summer, the little soldanelle plant spread its leaves wide and flat on the ground, to drink in the sun-rays, and it kept them stored in the root through the winter. Then spring came, and stirred the pulses even below the snow-shroud, and as it sprouted, warmth was given out in such strange measure that it thawed a little dome in the snow above its head.

Higher and higher it grew and always above it rose the bell of air, till the flower-bud formed safely within it: and at last the icy covering of the air-bell give way and let the blossom through into the sunshine, the crystalline texture of its mauve petals sparkling like snow itself as if it bore the traces of the flight through which it had come.

And the fragile thing rings an echo in our hearts that none of the jewel-like flowers nestled in the warm turf on the slopes below could waken. We love to see the impossible done. And so does God.

Face it out to the end, cast away every shadow of hope on the human side as an absolute hindrance to the Divine, heap up all the difficulties together recklessly, and pile as many more on as you can find; you cannot get beyond the blessed climax of impossibility. Let faith swing out to Him. He is the God of the impossible. --- Selected.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 　　 Streams In the Desert for Nov. 28

“Thou makest the outgoing of the morning and evening to rejoice.” (Psa. 65:8.)

Get up early and go to the mountain and watch God make a morning. The dull gray will give way as God pushes the sun towards the horizon, and there will be tints and hues of every shade, that will blend into one perfect light as the full-orbed sun bursts into view. As the King of day moves forth majestically, flooding the earth and every lowly vale, listen to the music of heaven’s choir as it sings of the majesty of God and the glory of the morning.”

In the holy hush of the early dawn I hear an Voice --- “I am with you all the day, Rejoice! Rejoice!”

The clear, pure light of the morning made me long for the truth in my heart, which alone could make me pure and clear as the morning, tune me up to the concert-pitch of the nature around me. And the wind that blew from the sunrise made me hope in the God who had first breathed into my nostrils the breath of life; that He would at length so fill me with His breath, His mind, His Spirit, that I should think only His thoughts, and live His life, finding therein my own life, only glorified infinitely. What should we poor humans do without our God’s nights and mornings?
--- George MacDanald.

“In the early morning hours, ‘Twixt the night and day, While from earth the darkness passes Silently away;

“Then ‘tis sweet to talk with Jesus In thy chamber still --- For the coming day and dunes Ask to know His will.

“Then He’ll lead the way before you, Mountains laying low; Making desert places blossom, Sweet’ning Marah’s flow.

“Would you know this life of triumph, Victory all the way? Then put God in the beginning Of each coming day.”

Li_ebo

　　“因为出于神的话，没有一句不带能力的”。（路1：37）

　　在阿尔卑斯山的顶巅，神年年创造他的奇迹，山上覆盖着厚雪，被白天的阳光和寒夜的严霜交相作用之下，积雪的边缘结成了冰，可是在这一层冰壳之下，却有花朵，正在完整无恙在开放出来。
　　这种花属樱花科，只长在高山之上，在夏季里，它舒展叶子，平躺在地，畅饮阳光，吸收了大自然阳光的热量，能贮藏在根里过冬。然后春天来了，一切植物都在苏醒过来，积雪下的生命也不例外，这种樱草科发出了芽，它放出暖气，那奇妙的热度，恰好把顶上的积雪溶成一钟形的小汽罩。
　　它继续长高，头上总是戴着那个钟形的小汽罩，直到里面长好了花苞。最后，钟形小汽罩的外壳脱落，花就直接与阳光接触，紫红色的花瓣，莹净剔透，络脉有似雪花，好象还保留着它生长斗争中所历经的痕迹。
　　这种织柔的植物，它在我们心中所引起的反响，决非那些长在山坡下面，从温暖泥土中孕育的花卉所能比拟。我们喜欢不可能的事，成为事实，神亦如此。
　　对不可能的事，要坚持到底，把所有的困难，毫无顾忌地堆在一起，并且把你所能找到的更多困难加上去，让信心倾向他，他是对付一切不可能的神。

Li_ebo

 Streams In the Desert for November 28

“Thou makest the outgoing of the morning and evening to rejoice.” (Psa. 65:8.)

Get up early and go to the mountain and watch God make a morning. The dull gray will give way as God pushes the sun towards the horizon, and there will be tints and hues of every shade, that will blend into one perfect light as the full-orbed sun bursts into view. As the King of day moves forth majestically, flooding the earth and every lowly vale, listen to the music of heaven’s choir as it sings of the majesty of God and the glory of the morning.”

In the holy hush of the early dawn I hear an Voice ---

“I am with you all the day,

Rejoice! Rejoice!”

The clear, pure light of the morning made me long for the truth in my heart, which alone could make me pure and clear as the morning, tune me up to the concert-pitch of the nature around me. And the wind that blew from the sunrise made me hope in the God who had first breathed into my nostrils the breath of life; that He would at length so fill me with His breath, His mind, His Spirit, that I should think only His thoughts, and live His life, finding therein my own life, only glorified infinitely. What should we poor humans do without our God’ s nights and mornings? --- George MacDanald.

“In the early morning hours,
‘Twixt the night and day,
While from earth the darkness passes
Silently away;

“Then ‘tis sweet to talk with Jesus
In thy chamber still ---
For the coming day and dunes
Ask to know His will.

“Then He’ll lead the way before you,
Mountains laying low;
Making desert places blossom,
Sweet’ning Marah’s flow.

“Would you know this life of triumph,
Victory all the way?
Then put God in the beginning
Of each coming day.”

Li_ebo

“住在地极的人，因你的神迹惧怕，你使日出日落之地都欢呼”。（诗65：8）

　　早晨起身，上到山去瞧瞧神如何制造早晨，神把太阳推向地平线，朦胧的灰暗消逝，到浑圆的太阳出现之时，各种深浅的颜色，混合成了一幅完美的光彩。白昼庄严地渐渐展开，它的光明，已遍照大地和每一低谷，你可以聆听天国合唱团的乐曲，在歌颂的尊贵下和早晨的荣光。
　　早晨的纯洁之光，使我的心渴慕真理，惟有这种仰望真理之心，能使我纯洁如早晨，使我和周围的自然交响乐和谐合拍起来。日出时吹来的风，使我盼望神，他曾首先把生命的呼吸，吸进我鼻孔；盼望他始终以他的生气和生命来充满我，使我所想的只是他的思想，所过的只是他的生活，在我自己的生命中，只发现永恒的光荣。假若没有神的夜和早晨，我们这些可怜的人类该怎样办呢？——麦克唐纳