從迷惘到信靠
試驗它
經文
詩篇二十七1-14
1(大衛的詩。)耶和華是我的亮光,是我的拯救,我還怕誰呢?耶和華是我性命的保障(或譯:力量),我還懼誰呢?
2那作惡的就是我的仇敵,前來吃我肉的時候就絆跌仆倒。
3雖有軍兵安營攻擊我,我的心也不害怕;雖然興起刀兵攻擊我,我必仍舊安穩。
4有一件事,我曾求耶和華,我仍要尋求:就是一生一世住在耶和華的殿中,瞻仰他的榮美,在他的殿裡求問。
5因為我遭遇患難,他必暗暗地保守我;在他亭子裡,把我藏在他帳幕的隱密處,將我高舉在磐石上。
6現在我得以昂首,高過四面的仇敵。我要在他的帳幕裡歡然獻祭;我要唱詩歌頌耶和華。
7耶和華啊,我用聲音呼籲的時候,求你垂聽;並求你憐恤我,應允我。
8你說:你們當尋求我的面。那時我心向你說:耶和華啊,你的面我正要尋求。
9不要向我掩面。不要發怒趕逐僕人,你向來是幫助我的。救我的神啊,不要丟掉我,也不要離棄我。
10我父母離棄我,耶和華必收留我。
11耶和華啊,求你將你的道指教我,因我仇敵的緣故引導我走平坦的路。
12求你不要把我交給敵人,遂其所願;因為妄作見證的和口吐凶言的,起來攻擊我。
13我若不信在活人之地得見耶和華的恩惠,就早已喪膽了。
14要等候耶和華!當壯膽,堅固你的心!我再說,要等候耶和華!
信息分享
現在讓我們來總結一下如何為自己建立屬靈處境,以從中思考我們的困難。正如我們說過,秘訣不是專注於眼前的困難,而是要採取間接的手法,以神本性的「定點」──祂永恆的本性,祂的自存,祂的聖潔,祂的信實等等來提醒自己。
這樣做時情況會變得怎樣呢?你不妨嘗試一下吧。如果你對神正在你生命中所做或沒做的某些事情感到疑惑的話,我邀請你來應用一下過去幾天所討論的原則:採取間接的手法,不專注自己的困難,而是專注於神的本性和品格。提醒你自己神是誰──祂不能做違背祂品格的事情。逐一深思祂榮耀的屬性。要是你按我的建議去做,就會從不同的角度去看你的困難;你會漸漸發覺它縮小到一個恰當的比例。
每個世代的信徒都採用這個方法處理屬靈的迷惘,而且從沒有失敗。如果生命的旅程需要某些定點來決定方向,那麼我們基督徒有最可靠的定點,那就是神的良善和仁慈。正如惠蒂爾(John Greenleaf Whittier)說:
在這令人瘋狂的混亂中,
當被暴風和海浪翻動的時候,
我的靈緊抓一個固定的據點,
我知道神是美好的。
「你的困難會縮小到一個恰當的比例」
進深研究
詩五十七1-7,一零八1,一一二7
1. 詩人的心固定在甚麼上面?
2. 你的心固定在甚麼上面?
祈禱
天父,我因您的美好而敬畏,求您幫助我更認識和明白您的美好,以及您那偉大和榮耀的品格。奉基督的名祈求。阿們。
From Confusion to Confidence
Put it to the test
Bible reading:
Psalm 27:1-14
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked advance against me to devour[a] me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.
4 One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord.
7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, Lord, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations.
13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Message
We now summarise what we have been saying over the past few days in relation to the need to establish for ourselves a spiritual context in which to think through a problem. The secret, as we have seen, is not to focus on the immediate problem, but to take the indirect approach and remind ourselves of the "fixed points" in God's nature - His eternal nature, His self-existence, His holiness, His faithfulness, and so on.
What happens when we do this? Well, try it for yourself. If you are confused about something that God is doing - or not doing - in your life, then I invite you to apply the principles we have been discussing over these past days. Take the indirect approach - focus not so much on your problem as on the nature and character of God. Remind yourself of who and what He is - and that He can do nothing contrary to His character. Gaze one by one upon His glorious attributes. If you do exactly as I suggest, I promise you that you will see your problem from a different perspective. Gradually you will find it shrinking to its rightful proportions.
Believers in every age have been using this method of handling spiritual confusion - and it has never failed. If, on the voyage of life, we need fixed points from which to take our bearings, then we Christians have the most reliable of them all - one of them being the goodness and graciousness of God. As John Greenleaf Whittier put it:
Here in this maddening maze of things,
When tossed by storm and flood,
To one fixed ground my spirit clings,
I know that God is good.
"Your problem will shrink to its rightful proportions"
Prayer
O Father, I stand in awe of Your goodness. Help me to know it and understand it more and more. And not only this, but every other aspect of Your great and glorious character. In Christ's Name I ask it. Amen.
Further study
Psalm 57:1-7; 108:1; 112:7
1. Where was the psalmist's heart fixed?
2. On what is your heart fixed?
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