害怕死去的麥子
讓人滿有驚喜的神
經文
詩篇十八20-40
20耶和華按著我的公義報答我，按著我手中的清潔賞賜我。
21因為我遵守了耶和華的道，未曾作惡離開我的神。
22他的一切典章常在我面前；他的律例我也未曾丟棄。
23我在他面前作了完全人；我也保守自己遠離我的罪孽。
24所以，耶和華按我的公義，按我在他眼前手中的清潔償還我。
25慈愛的人，你以慈愛待他；完全的人，你以完全待他。
26清潔的人，你以清潔待他；乖僻的人，你以彎曲待他。
27困苦的百姓，你必拯救；高傲的眼目，你必使他降卑。
28你必點著我的燈；耶和華─我的神必照明我的黑暗。
29我藉著你衝入敵軍，藉著我的神跳過牆垣。
30至於神，他的道是完全的；耶和華的話是煉淨的。凡投靠他的，他便作他們的盾牌。
31除了耶和華，誰是神呢？除了我們的神，誰是磐石呢？
32惟有那以力量束我的腰、使我行為完全的，他是神。
33他使我的腳快如母鹿的蹄，又使我在高處安穩。
34他教導我的手能以爭戰，甚至我的膀臂能開銅弓。
35你把你的救恩給我作盾牌；你的右手扶持我；你的溫和使我為大。
36你使我腳下的地步寬闊；我的腳未曾滑跌。
37我要追趕我的仇敵，並要追上他們；不將他們滅絕，我總不歸回。
38我要打傷他們，使他們不能起來；他們必倒在我的腳下。
39因為你曾以力量束我的腰，使我能爭戰；你也使那起來攻擊我的都服在我以下。
40你又使我的仇敵在我面前轉背逃跑，叫我能以剪除那恨我的人。
信息分享
如果你仍未掌握我們過去幾天所討論的真理，今天就趕快以雙手來緊握它吧──生命最大的孤單是「一粒麥子害怕死去」的孤單。如果我們害怕向自己的目標死去好讓神的目標得到高舉，我們結果就只會討自己喜悅，可是卻不會喜歡那個自我。我們應當懷著堅定的信心，樂意面對任何境況，並且相信神會令它變成充滿意義，使我們能夠以內在的堅毅和沉靜來面對生命。
明白這個真理，樂意把它應用到任何環境和情況，是其中一個最能夠對抗情感和個性問題的保障。事實上我甚至認為它能夠最有力地對抗反應性的抑鬱。我說「反應性」抑鬱，是因為有些抑鬱症是因為人體內化學物分泌失調所引起，而反應性抑鬱則來自我們如何解釋生命中的打擊和困境，想想看有甚麼困境是比孤單更難對付的呢？
不過，聖經教導我們，神永不會容許祂的孩子陷於祂不能幫助的境況底下──包括孤單在內。有人稱我們的天父為「讓人滿有驚喜的神」。這是多麼動人的描述，而且多麼真實。在生命最孤單的時刻，神總有方法接近我們，並向我們顯明祂自己，這是我們永遠都感到難以置信的事情。
「神在我們最孤單的時刻顯明祂自己」
進深研究
王上十九1-8；詩九十一11；來一14
1. 神怎樣應付以利亞的孤單？
2. 祂派誰去見以利亞？
祈禱
天父，求您讓我滿有驚喜！求您今天以某些方式來顯明您對我奇妙的關注和關心，突破我生活的慣例和責任。求您掀開幔子讓我可以一瞥您的臉容。奉耶穌的名祈求，阿們。
The Corn of Wheat Afraid to Die
"God of remarkable surprises"
Bible reading:
Psalm 18:20-40
20 The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I am not guilty of turning from my God.
22 All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees.
23 I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.
24 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
26 to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
27 You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
28 You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.
29 With your help I can advance against a troop[a]; with my God I can scale a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord's word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great.
36 You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
38 I crushed them so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet.
39 You armed me with strength for battle; you humbled my adversaries before me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes.
Message
If you have not yet taken hold of the truth we have been discussing over the past few days, then grasp it with both hands today: the greatest loneliness is the loneliness of "a corn of wheat afraid to die". If we are afraid to die to our own purposes and allow God's purposes to become supreme, then we finish up pleasing ourselves but not liking the self we have pleased. And again, being willing to face any situation that comes with the conviction that God will make it contributive enables us to face life with an inner fortitude and poise.
Understanding this truth and being willing to apply it to all circumstances and situations is one of the greatest safeguards against emotional or personality problems. In fact, I would go further and say that it is one of the greatest defences against reactive depression that I know. I say "reactive" depression because there are some forms of depression which are chemically based and result from malfunctioning of the body's chemical systems. Reactive depression is the depression that comes from the way we interpret the knocks and hardships that crowd into our lives. And what greater hardship can there be than loneliness?
The Bible teaches us, however, that God will never allow one of His children to find themselves in any situation where He is not able to help them - loneliness included. Someone has referred to our heavenly Father as "the God of remarkable surprises". What a fascinating description - and how true. In the midst of life's loneliest moments, God has a way of approaching us and revealing Himself in ways that we would never have conceived possible.
"God reveals Himself in life's loneliest moments"
Prayer
Father - surprise me. In some way today, let the wonder of Your concern and care for me break through the ordered routines and duties of my life. Pull aside the curtain and give me a fresh glimpse of Your face. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.
Further study
1 Kings 19:1-8
Psalm 91:11
Hebrews 1:14
1. How did God deal with Elijah's loneliness?
2. Whom did He send to him?
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