"He answered her not a word." (Matt. 15:23)
It may be a child of God is reading these words who has had some great crushing sorrow, some bitter disappointment, some heart-breaking blow from a totally unexpected quarter. You are longing for your Master's voice bidding you "…Be of good cheer,…"(Jn.16:33) but only silence and a sense of mystery and misery meet you ━"He answered her not a word."
God's tender heart must often ache listening to all the sad, complaining cries which arise from our weak, impatient hearts, because we do not see that for our own sakes He answers not at all or otherwise than seems best to our tear-blinded, short-sighted eyes.
The silences of Jesus are as eloquent as His speech and may be a sign, not of His disapproval, but of His approval and of a deep purpose of blessing for you.
"…Why art thou cast down, O … soul?..." (Ps.43:5) Thou shalt yet praise Him, yes, even for His silence. Listen to an old and beautiful story of how one Christian dreamed that she saw three others at prayer. As they knelt the Master drew near to them.
As He approached the first of the three, He bent over her in tenderness and grace, with smiles full of radiant love and spoke to her in accents of purest, sweetest music.
Leaving her, He came to the next, but only placed His hand upon her bowed bead, and gave her one look of loving approval.
The third woman He passed almost abruptly without stopping for a word or glance. The woman in her dream said to herself, "How greatly He must love the first one, to the second He gave His approval, but none of the special demonstrations of love He gave the first; and the third must have grieved Him deeply, for He gave her no word at all and not even a passing look.
"I wonder what she has done, and why He made so much difference between them?" As she tried to account for the action of her Lord, He Himself stood by her and said: "O woman! how wrongly hast thou interpreted Me. The first kneeling woman needs all the weight of My tenderness and care to keep her feet in My narrow way. She needs My love, thought and help every moment of the day. Without it she would fail and fall.
"The second has stronger faith and deeper love, and I can trust her to trust Me however things may go and whatever people do.
"The third, whom I seemed not to notice, and even to neglect, has faith and love of the finest quality, and her I am training by quick and drastic processes for the highest and holiest service.
"She knows Me so intimately, and trusts Me so utterly, that she is independent of words or looks or any outward intimation of My approval. She is not dismayed nor discouraged by any circumstances through which I arrange that she shall pass; she trusts Me when sense and reason and every finer instinct of the natural heart would rebel;━because she knows that I am working in her for eternity, and that what I do, though she knows not the explanation now, she will understand hereafter.
"I am silent in My love because I love beyond the power of words to express, or of human hearts to understand, and also for your sakes that you may learn to love and trust Me in Spirit-taught, spontaneous response to My love, without the spur of anything outward to call it forth."
He "...…will do marvels...…"(Ex.34:10) if you will learn the mystery of His silence, and praise Him, for every time He withdraws His gifts that you may better know and love the Giver.
━Selected
二月九日
“耶稣却一言不答” （太十五：23）
一个受苦的神的孩子读到这两句话，或许会希奇。你正在渴望主安慰的声音“…你们可以放心…”（约十六：33），或者“不要怕，因为我与你同在”，可是等了许久，一点得不着甚么━“耶稣却一言不答”。
当神听见我们哀声哭诉的时侯，祂的心常顶难受；因为祂看见我们还是这样软弱，这样急躁，还不能懂得祂不答的美意，我们的目光还是这样短视。
主的不答，并非是拒绝，乃是表示祂的默许和顶深的同情。
失望的基督徒阿，“…你为何忧闷？…”（诗篇四十三：5）卽使祂静默不答，你“还要称赞祂”。让我们听一个故事，并细细领会里面的教训。一个基督徒梦见三个同作肢体的姐妹跪着祷告。她看见主渐渐走近她们。
当祂走到第一个姊妹面前，祂脸上带着荣光和爱，俯下身去，用顶温柔，顶甜蜜的声音安慰她，勉励她。
随后祂走近第二个姊妹身边，只伸出祂的手来在她额上一按点点头走了。
最末后，当祂走过第三个姊妹那里，祂一声不响，连看都不看，就去了。那个做梦的基督徒自言自语地说道，“第一个姊妹，一定灵命顶深，所以主顶爱她；第二个姊妹也不错，可是不及第一个；第三个姊妹，一定在甚么事情上得罪了主，深深地伤了主的心所以主不屑睬她。
“我不知道她究竟做错了甚么？为甚么主对待他们有这大的不同呢？“当她正在猜疑之间，主站在她旁边说：“无知的妇人！你完全误会我。那第一个跪着祷告的女人最软弱，最幼稚。她时刻需要我的扶持与眷顾，否则她在我的窄路上简直一步都不能行。她时刻需要我的爱和帮助，否则她就会失败，跌倒。
“那第二个跪着祷告的女人较好得多，她有较强的信心和较深的爱，我能彀信任她在无论甚么环境中因我站住。
“那第三个跪着祷告的女人，（就是我似乎不去注意，把她略过的那一个），她的灵命顶高，顶深，她的信心和爱心顶大，顶强，我正用一种猛烈的方法训练她，为着她将来最高，最圣洁的事奉。
“她已经完全认识我，完全信任我，她不需要能听，能见，能摸，能觉的帮助。她不因我所安排给她的环境而丧志，灰心，跌倒；虽然理由不能通过，天性不能佩服，她还是绝对顺从我；━因为她知道我的用意是为她将来永远的荣耀，我所作的，她如今虽然不知道，后来必明白。
“我默然爱她因为我爱她的心不是言语所能表达的，也不是人心所能领会的”。
如果你知道祂默然的奥秘，赞美祂，祂就会“......行奇妙的事......”（出三十四：10），因为每次祂收回恩典，就是要你更认识，更爱那赐恩者。━选