0916 暗中向神祷告
你祷告的时候，要进你的内屋，关上门，祷告你在暗中的父；你父在暗中察看，必然报答你。《马太福音 6:6》
在宗教领域中，最主要的思想是——定睛在神而非在人。你的动机不应该是想要被知道是个祷告的人。找一个内室，在其中甚至无人知道你在祷告，关上门，暗中对神说话。除了要认识你的天父之外，别无其它动机。没有明确暗中祷告的时间，你就不可能继续你的门徒生活。
「你们祷告…不可…用许多重复话….」（马太福音 6:7）。神不因我们恳切祷告而垂听我们——祂仅仅基于救赎而垂听我们；神从不因我们的热心而感动。祷告不只是从神那里得到东西，那只是最基本的祷告。祷告就是进入与神完全的团契和合一。如果神的儿子经由重生而已成形在我们里面（见加拉太书4:19），那么祂就会继续超越我们的常识，并改变我们对所求事物的态度。
「凡祈求的，就得着…」（马太福音 7:8）。我们以宗教的废话祷告，甚至不涉及我们的意志，然后我们说神没有回应——但实际上我们从未求过什么。耶稣说：「…凡你们所愿意的，祈求…」（约翰福音 15:7）。祈求意味着我们的意志必须参与其中。每当耶稣谈论祷告时，祂以孩子般的单纯说话。然后我们以批评的态度回应说：「是的，但连耶稣也说我们必须祈求。」但要记住，我们必须向神祈求与耶稣基督所启示的神相合的事情。
来自章伯斯的智慧
眼见不等于相信；我们根据我们所信的来解释我们所看见的。信仰是在你看到神出现之前对神的信任；因此，信仰的本质是它必须经受考验。《他必荣耀我》
0916 Praying to God in Secret
When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place… —Matthew 6:6
The primary thought in the area of religion is— keep your eyes on God, not on people. Your motivation should not be the desire to be known as a praying person. Find an inner room in which to pray where no one even knows you are praying, shut the door, and talk to God in secret. Have no motivation other than to know your Father in heaven. It is impossible to carry on your life as a disciple without definite times of secret prayer.
“When you pray, do not use vain repetitions…” (Matthew 6:7). God does not hear us because we pray earnestly— He hears us solely on the basis of redemption. God is never impressed by our earnestness. Prayer is not simply getting things from God— that is only the most elementary kind of prayer. Prayer is coming into perfect fellowship and oneness with God. If the Son of God has been formed in us through regeneration (see Galatians 4:19), then He will continue to press on beyond our common sense and will change our attitude about the things for which we pray.
“Everyone who asks receives…” (Matthew 7:8). We pray religious nonsense without even involving our will, and then we say that God did not answer— but in reality we have never asked for anything. Jesus said, “…you will ask what you desire…” (John 15:7). Asking means that our will must be involved. Whenever Jesus talked about prayer, He spoke with wonderful childlike simplicity. Then we respond with our critical attitude, saying, “Yes, but even Jesus said that we must ask.” But remember that we have to ask things of God that are in keeping with the God whom Jesus Christ revealed.
Wisdom From Oswald Chambers
Seeing is never believing: we interpret what we see in the light of what we believe. Faith is confidence in God before you see God emerging; therefore the nature of faith is that it must be tried. — He Shall Glorify Me, 494 R