從迷惘到信靠
樂意等候
經文
詩篇二十五1-22
1（大衛的詩。）耶和華啊，我的心仰望你。
2我的神啊，我素來倚靠你；求你不要叫我羞愧，不要叫我的仇敵向我誇勝。
3凡等候你的必不羞愧；惟有那無故行奸詐的必要羞愧。
4耶和華啊，求你將你的道指示我，將你的路教訓我！
5求你以你的真理引導我，教訓我，因為你是救我的神。我終日等候你。
6耶和華啊，求你記念你的憐憫和慈愛，因為這是亙古以來所常有的。
7求你不要記念我幼年的罪愆和我的過犯；耶和華啊，求你因你的恩惠，按你的慈愛記念我。
8耶和華是良善正直的，所以他必指示罪人走正路。
9他必按公平引領謙卑人，將他的道教訓他們。
10凡遵守他的約和他法度的人，耶和華都以慈愛誠實待他。
11耶和華啊，求你因你的名赦免我的罪，因為我的罪重大。
12誰敬畏耶和華，耶和華必指示他當選擇的道路。
13他必安然居住；他的後裔必承受地土。
14耶和華與敬畏他的人親密；他必將自己的約指示他們。
15我的眼目時常仰望耶和華，因為他必將我的腳從網裡拉出來。
16求你轉向我，憐恤我，因為我是孤獨困苦。
17我心裡的愁苦甚多，求你救我脫離我的禍患。
18求你看顧我的困苦，我的艱難，赦免我一切的罪。
19求你察看我的仇敵，因為他們人多，並且痛痛地恨我。
20求你保護我的性命，搭救我，使我不致羞愧，因為我投靠你。
21願純全、正直保守我，因為我等候你。
22神啊，求你救贖以色列脫離他一切的愁苦。
信息分享
有時候，我們會認為對於某個環境或處境，神理應給予我們一個明確的回應，但結果卻不是這樣。神有時會給我們答覆，有時卻不給。事實上基督徒的等候，可能要等一星期、一個月、一年，甚至一輩子。當遇到這種情況的時候，我們該怎麼辦呢？我們必須做哈巴谷所做的事──完全交托給神。
我自己覺得哈巴谷書第一章和第二章的分章有點問題。聖經不錯是神所默示的，但章節的分界卻不是默示。第二章的第一節不是新段落的開始，而是延續上一章。在一章17節，哈巴谷向神提出一個問題，但神沒有回答他。結果他做了甚麼？他並沒有企圖將自己的立場合理化或過早的作一個結論。他並沒有說：「我不明白這一切，因此我必須下一個結論說神也沒有答案。」
哈巴谷所做的，是我們每個人在面對這種境況時應該有的行動，那就是他將問題交託神，讓神去處理。不要理會章節的分界，這樣你就能夠看到哈巴谷如何自然和輕易地從疑惑轉向等候。沒有任性，沒有被神忽略的感覺，他只是說：「我要站在守望所，立在望樓上觀看；看耶和華對我說甚麼話」（二1）。哈巴谷的樂意是他屬靈疑惑的轉捩點。這也可以是你今天的轉捩點。
「將問題交給神」
進深研究
王上十七1-十八46；詩二十七14，六十二5；賽八17
1. 以利亞在哪三次在禱告中等候神？
2. 結果怎樣？
祈禱
親愛的主，求您赦免我，我總是在得不到答案的時候，就會對您的旨意作出錯誤的結論。我明白哈巴谷的教訓十分重要，求您幫助我把這教訓學好。奉耶穌的名祈求，阿們。
From Confusion to Confidence
The willingness to wait
Bible reading:
Psalm 25:1-22
1 In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.
2 I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.
4 Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good.
8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
10 All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11 For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
12 Who, then, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.[b]
13 They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land.
14 The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.
18 Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.
19 See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me!
20 Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord,[c] is in you.
22 Deliver Israel, O God, from all their troubles!
Message
All of us have times when, although we feel we deserve a clear answer from God in relation to a certain circumstance or situation, we do not get it. Sometimes God gives us an answer and sometimes He doesn't. Indeed, a Christian may be kept in the position of waiting for a week, a month, a year - or even a lifetime. What does one do when this happens? We must do what Habakkuk did - leave the issue with God.
I feel myself that the division between chapters one and two of Habakkuk's prophecy is misplaced. Scripture is inspired but the chapter divisions are not. The first verse of chapter two is not the start of a new section but a continuation of the previous chapter. In verse 17 of chapter 1, Habakkuk asks God a question to which he gets no reply. So what does he do? He does not attempt to rationalise his position or form a premature conclusion. He certainly does not say: "I do not understand all this so therefore I am bound to conclude that God doesn't have an answer to give."
No, he acted in the way every one of us ought to act when faced with this situation - he committed the problem to God and left it with Him. Ignore the chapter division and you will see how naturally and easily Habakkuk moves from the place of questioning to the place of waiting. There is no petulance, no sense of being ignored by God. He simply says: "I will climb my watchtower now, and wait to see what answer God will give to my complaint" (2:1, TLB). Habakkuk's willingness was the turning point in his spiritual confusion. Today it can be yours too.
"Leave the issue with God"
Prayer
Forgive me, dear Lord, that when answers do not come, I too quickly come to the wrong conclusions about Your purposes and designs. I see the lesson Habakkuk illustrates is a deeply important one. Help me to learn it. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Further study
1 Kings 17:1-18:46
Psalm 27:14; 62:5
Isaiah 8:17
1. On what 3 occasions did Elijah wait on God in prayer?
2. What were the results?
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