2月14日 聆听的操练

我在暗中告诉你们的，你们要在明处说出来。你们耳中所听的，要在房上宣扬出来。（太十27）

有时神放我们在黑暗中，是要教导我们听话。鸣鸟在黑暗里学习唱歌，我们也要在神的阴影下学习听他。“我在暗中告诉你们的”——留意神把你放在什么黑暗的地方，在那里你要闭口不言。你如今四面漆黑吗？你的生命与神之间幽暗吗？保持安静吧。在暗中开口，说话会不合宜。黑暗正是静听的时刻。不必告诉别人，不必去寻找黑暗的原因，只要留意静听；你若告诉人，就听不见神在说什么！所以，你在黑暗中要听；神会给你极宝贵的资讯，让你出到光明后，可以向别人分享。

每一次经过黑暗，都会有一种欣喜与谦卑交织的心情（若只有欣喜，就不是真的听见神了）。欣喜的时候听见了神，但主要是谦卑——“我竟花这许多时间才听见！我多么迟钝！而一直以来，神就不断地说话。”这时，神叫你谦卑，使你柔顺，从此听命于他。

祈祷◆主啊，我要用诗人的话来敬拜你——“正直人在黑暗中，有光向他发现。”噢，主啊，我在何等的黑暗中！所以，你必然是光。

February 14 The Discipline Of Heeding

“What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.” Matthew 10:27

At times God puts us through the discipline of darkness to teach us to heed Him. Song birds are taught to sing in the dark, and we are put into the shadow of God's hand until we learn to hear Him. “What I tell you in darkness” – watch where God puts you into darkness, and when you are there keep your mouth shut. Are you in the dark just now in your circumstances, or in your life with God? Then remain quiet. If you open your mouth in the dark, you will talk in the wrong mood: darkness is the time to listen. Don't talk to other people about it; don't read books to find out the reason of the darkness, but listen and heed. If you talk to other people, you cannot hear what God is saying. When you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else when you get into the light.

After every time of darkness there comes a mixture of delight and humiliation (if there is delight only, I question whether we have heard God at all), delight in hearing God speak, but chiefly humiliation – What a long time I was in hearing that! How slow I have been in understanding that! And yet God has been saying it all these days and weeks. Now He gives you the gift of humiliation which brings the softness of heart that will always listen to God now.