一月十五日[mp3_embed playlst=”/downloading/audio/evening/01/0115.mp3″]
经文: 但我专心祈祷。（诗篇一○九：4）
撒谎者的舌头在忙碌地毁谤大卫的名誉，但是他并未替自己辩护。代之，他将此案陈明在最高法庭中的伟大君王前，向祂恳求。要回答狠毒的话，最安全的方法就是祈祷。诗人并不是以冷淡之心情祈祷，他将自己投入在祷告中。他扯紧每一条肌腱全心全意投入。这是任何人能在施恩座前蒙垂听的唯一方法。人若不能竭力迫切地恳，不能激烈渴望地恳求，他的恳求就完全无效。有一位老圣徒说：“要热切祷告，就好像在天国的大门前放置一尊大炮将大门轰开。”大多数人的共同错误是在祷告中轻易地分散注意力。我们的思想徘徊浮游，不能向着目标前进。我们的思绪常像水银泻地，无法集中，四处滚散。这是何等大的罪孽！这种行为伤害了我们自己，更糟糕的是羞辱了上帝。想一想若有一个人向一位王子陈情时，手中还玩弄着一根羽毛或是一支苍蝇拍子，这是何等不敬！我们的祷告必须是连续、持久的。大卫不只是呼求一声就堕入沉默，他虔诚地不断大声呼求，一直到天上的祝福降下。我们绝不能使祈祷变为只是偶而进行的工作，那必须是我们每日的事务，我们的习惯、甚至是我们的职业。像艺术家一样地投入他们的模型，又像诗人一般地专注于他们的创作，我们也必须让自己沉醉于祷告之中。我们必须沉浸在祷告之中，永不停止祈求。
Evening, January 15
Scripture: “But I give myself unto prayer.”(Psalm 109:4)
Lying tongues were busy against the reputation of David, but he did not defend himself; he moved the case into a higher court, and pleaded before the great King himself. Prayer is the safest method of replying to words of hatred. The Psalmist prayed in no cold-hearted manner, he gave himself to the exercise－threw his whole soul and heart into it－straining every sinew and muscle, as Jacob did when wrestling with the angel. Thus, and thus only, shall any of us speed at the throne of grace. As a shadow has no power because there is no substance in it, even so that supplication, in which a man’s proper self is not thoroughly present in agonizing earnestness and vehement desire, is utterly ineffectual, for it lacks that which would give it force. “Fervent prayer,” says an old divine, “like a cannon planted at the gates of heaven, makes them fly open.” The common fault with the most of us is our readiness to yield to distractions. Our thoughts go roving hither and thither, and we make little progress towards our desired end. Like quicksilver our mind will not hold together, but rolls off this way and that. How great an evil this is! It injures us, and what is worse, it insults our God. What should we think of a petitioner, if, while having an audience with a prince, he should be playing with a feather or catching a fly?
Continuance and perseverance are intended in the expression of our text. David did not cry once, and then relapse into silence; his holy clamour was continued till it brought down the blessing. Prayer must not be our chance work, but our daily business, our habit and vocation. As artists give themselves to their models, and poets to their classical pursuits, so must we addict ourselves to prayer. We must be immersed in prayer as in our element, and so pray without ceasing. Lord, teach us so to pray that we may be more and more prevalent in supplication.
