12月20日 我们要祷告
12月20日，周六
我们要祷告
如果我们照着神的旨意祈求，祂必听我们；这就是我们对神所存的坦然无惧的心。（约翰壹书5:14）
我们在比较和理解圣经不同经文时，必须格外谨慎。圣经绝不会自相矛盾。我们绝不能单凭一处经文就建立起一套完整的教义；换句话说，我们所形成的教义，绝不能与圣经中任何其他清楚、明确的教导相冲突，或互相矛盾。
经过这样的比较和研究之后，我们会得出一些结论。其中一个很重要的结论，就是：谈到祷告，这里面一定包含一个“奥秘的层面”。祷告是神在祂恩典中向我们所施的一种方式，而这方式本身就超出我们的理解。我真想由衷地说一句：“为此感谢神！”我的意思是：从最终、绝对的角度来说，你我根本没办法把“神的全知、预知和主权”，与“祷告的明确教导和事实”完全调和在一起——然而，在圣经中却如此清楚地教导我们要祷告。
事实上，还有许多类似的事，我们同样无法明白。例如，我不能明白，一位绝对圣洁的神，怎么会愿意，也如何能够饶恕任何一个罪人。我想不通，但感谢神，我相信！我不能测透那位永恒者的心意与心肠，但我感谢神，因着祂的启示，我确信：祂既完全公义，又能称那不敬虔的人为义。还有许多类似的例子都说明同一件事，而祷告就是其中之一。所以，从最终“哲学式”的讨论来看，祷告确实有一个我们无法穿透的奥秘；但感谢神，祂没有丢下我们，只剩下一堆抽象的哲学。祂赐给我们的是福音，这福音以极其简明的方式临到我们，清清楚楚地告诉我们该做什么。纵然我们有限的小脑袋，不能在理性和哲学的层面把一切都想通，但在整本圣经中，没有什么教导比这一点更清楚：我们被教导、被命令、被劝勉，要祷告。你若从头到尾细读圣经，就会发现有关祷告的吩咐、呼召和鼓励，出现的频率何等之高。
默想主题：
祷告是神在祂恩典中向我们所施的一种方式，而这方式本身就超出我们的理解。
麦琴（麦克谦）读经计划进度
家庭敬拜：代下24章，启11章
个人灵修：亚7章，约10章
December 20, Saturday
WE ARE EXHORTED TO PRAY
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us. (1 JOHN 5:14)
We must be exceptionally careful in the matter of comparing Scripture with Scripture. The Bible never contradicts itself. We must never base our doctrine upon one statement only; or to put it in another way, our doctrine must never be so formulated as to be in conflict with any other statement of Scripture or to contradict any other clear and obvious scriptural teaching.
Then, having done that, we come to certain conclusions. One conclusion is that there is an element of mystery about this question of prayer; it is one of those aspects of God’s gracious dealings with us that is beyond our understanding. Now I feel like saying, “Thank God for that!” I mean that in an ultimate and absolute sense you and I simply cannot reconcile God’s omniscience and foreknowledge and sovereignty with this fact of prayer that we find so clearly taught in Scripture.
But there are so many other things one cannot understand. I cannot understand how a holy God would ever forgive or can ever forgive a single soul. I cannot understand it, but thank God, I believe it! I cannot understand the eternal mind and heart, but I thank God for a revelation that assures me that God can be just and a justifier of the ungodly. And there are many other instances and illustrations that I could give of exactly the same thing, and this question of prayer is one of them. In an ultimate philosophical sense there is an element of mystery about it, but praise God, we are not left with philosophy. We have a Gospel that comes to us in its simplicity and tells us what to do. So though our little minds cannot understand it philosophically, there is nothing that is so plain and clear in Scripture as that we are taught and exhorted to pray. Go through the Scriptures, and notice the frequency of the exhortations to pray.
A Thought to Ponder: Prayer is one of those aspects of God’s gracious dealings with us that is beyond our understanding.