十月九日 [mp3_embed playlst=”/downloading/audio/evening/10/1009.mp3″]
经文: 耶稣却一言不答。（马太福音十五：23）
真诚的寻求却尚未得到祝福的人，可以从今晚的经文中获得安慰。虽然这妇人对救主有极大的信心，但是祂并未立即给予祝福。祂要赐福，但却等待片刻。“耶稣一言不答。”在世上没有一个人的祈祷能及得上这位妇人的祈求。她极为迫切，而她的信心如此大，甚至耶稣都说：“妇人，你的信心是大的。”（太十五：28）。信心为祈祷带来应允，这话是确实的，但不一定即时蒙应允。有时对信心加以试验会比对信心的赏赐更为重要。真诚的信心可能像一颗隐藏的种子，尚未萌芽开花成为喜乐与平安。救主的片刻沉默是许多寻求主之心灵的悲伤试验。而像这样严厉、截然的回答：“不好拿儿女的饼丢给狗吃。”（太十五：26）更是教人的心情愈发沉重。许多人在等待主时得到即时的答覆，但并不是所有人都如此。有人瞬间就从黑暗转入了光明，但有时却像生长缓慢的植物慢极了，上帝可能使你对罪有更深的感受而不使你有被饶恕的感觉，在这种情况下，你需要耐性来忍受沉重的打击。虽然你可能被打伤，但你仍要信靠上帝。虽然祂向你说气话，但你乃要相信祂心中对你的爱。不要放弃寻求，也不要放弃对主的信靠，因为你尚未获得你渴望的蒙福之喜乐。投向祂，当你不能有喜乐的盼望时，更要坚定地依靠祂。
Evening, October 9
Scripture: “But he answered her not a word.”(Matthew 15:23)
Genuine seekers who as yet have not obtained the blessing, may take comfort from the story before us. The Saviour did not at once bestow the blessing, even though the woman had great faith in him. He intended to give it, but he waited awhile. “He answered her not a word.” Were not her prayers good? Never better in the world. Was not her case needy? Sorrowfully needy. Did she not feel her need sufficiently? She felt it overwhelmingly. Was she not earnest enough? She was intensely so. Had she no faith? She had such a high degree of it that even Jesus wondered, and said, “O woman, great is thy faith.” See then, although it is true that faith brings peace, yet it does not always bring it instantaneously. There may be certain reasons calling for the trial of faith, rather than the reward of faith. Genuine faith may be in the soul like a hidden seed, but as yet it may not have budded and blossomed into joy and peace. A painful silence from the Saviour is the grievous trial of many a seeking soul, but heavier still is the affliction of a harsh cutting reply such as this, “It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.” Many in waiting upon the Lord find immediate delight, but this is not the case with all. Some, like the jailer, are in a moment turned from darkness to light, but others are plants of slower growth. A deeper sense of sin may be given to you instead of a sense of pardon, and in such a case you will have need of patience to bear the heavy blow. Ah! poor heart, though Christ beat and bruise thee, or even slay thee, trust him; though he should give thee an angry word, believe in the love of his heart. Do not, I beseech thee, give up seeking or trusting my Master, because thou hast not yet obtained the conscious joy which thou longest for. Cast thyself on him, and perseveringly depend even where thou canst not rejoicingly hope.