0916 暗中向神禱告
你禱告的時候，要進你的內屋，關上門，禱告你在暗中的父；你父在暗中察看，必然報答你。《馬太福音 6:6》
在宗教領域中，最主要的思想是——定睛在神而非在人。你的動機不應該是想要被知道是個禱告的人。找一個內室，在其中甚至無人知道你在禱告，關上門，暗中對神說話。除了要認識你的天父之外，別無其它動機。沒有明確暗中禱告的時間，你就不可能繼續你的門徒生活。
「你們禱告…不可…用許多重複話….」（馬太福音 6:7）。神不因我們懇切禱告而垂聽我們——祂僅僅基於救贖而垂聽我們；神從不因我們的熱心而感動。禱告不只是從神那裡得到東西，那只是最基本的禱告。禱告就是進入與神完全的團契和合一。如果神的兒子經由重生而已成形在我們裡面（見加拉太書4:19），那麼祂就會繼續超越我們的常識，並改變我們對所求事物的態度。
「凡祈求的，就得着…」（馬太福音 7:8）。我們以宗教的廢話禱告，甚至不涉及我們的意志，然後我們說神沒有回應——但實際上我們從未求過什麼。耶穌說：「…凡你們所願意的，祈求…」（約翰福音 15:7）。祈求意味着我們的意志必須參與其中。每當耶穌談論禱告時，祂以孩子般的單純說話。然後我們以批評的態度回應說：「是的，但連耶穌也說我們必須祈求。」但要記住，我們必須向神祈求與耶穌基督所啟示的神相合的事情。
來自章伯斯的智慧
眼見不等於相信；我們根據我們所信的來解釋我們所看見的。信仰是在你看到神出現之前對神的信任；因此，信仰的本質是它必須經受考驗。《他必榮耀我》
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