从迷惘到信靠
发怒时以怜悯为念
经文
耶利米书十12-25
12耶和华用能力创造大地，用智慧建立世界，用聪明铺张穹苍。
13他一发声，空中便有多水激动；他使云雾从地极上腾；他造电随雨而闪，从他府库中带出风来。
14各人都成了畜类，毫无知识；各银匠都因他雕刻的偶像羞愧。他所铸的偶像本是虚假的，其中并无气息，
15都是虚无的，是迷惑人的工作；到追讨的时候必被除灭。
16雅各的分不像这些，因他是造作万有的主。以色列也是他产业的支派，万军之耶和华是他的名。
17受围困的人哪，当收拾你的财物，从国中带出去。
18因为耶和华如此说：这时候，我必将此地的居民，好像用机弦甩出去，又必加害在他们身上，使他们觉悟。
19民说：祸哉！我受损伤；我的伤痕极其重大。我却说：这真是我的痛苦，必须忍受。
20我的帐棚毁坏；我的绳索折断。我的儿女离我出去，没有了。无人再支搭我的帐棚，挂起我的幔子。
21因为牧人都成为畜类，没有求问耶和华，所以不得顺利；他们的羊群也都分散。
22有风声！看哪，敌人来了！有大扰乱从北方出来，要使犹大城邑变为荒凉，成为野狗的住处。
23耶和华啊，我晓得人的道路不由自己，行路的人也不能定自己的脚步。
24耶和华啊，求你从宽惩治我，不要在你的怒中惩治我，恐怕使我归于无有。
25愿你将忿怒倾在不认识你的列国中，和不求告你名的各族上；因为他们吞了雅各，不但吞了，而且灭绝，把他的住处变为荒场。
信息分享
我们看到哈巴谷在祷告中最关注的，不是神应该停止祂的计划，而是犹大应该有属灵的复兴。先知很害怕犹大会被征服，因此他踏实地祈求：「主啊，求你在我们当中保存你的见证，让它能存留下来，不要让它遭到毁灭。」
希伯来语「复兴」这个词，包含神向将熄灭的火烬弯腰吹气、直至它重新燃烧的意思。这对今天的教会而言是多么合适的祷告。如果好像哈巴谷一样，我们能在祷告中，以神的名和荣耀为所关注的焦点，而不是以世界的事情为中心，我们便会更接近圣经的模式，更能够看见神的荣耀彰显。
在我们研究这一章的最后一段时，将会以哈巴谷的伟大祷告来结束。让我们思想哈巴谷祷告的最后一句话：「在发怒的时候以怜悯为念」（哈三2）。伟大的圣经灵修注释者马太亨利（Matthew Henry）如此说：「哈巴谷没有说『记念我们的好处』，而是说：『主啊，记念你自己的怜悯』。」先知使用的方法似乎是很多旧约圣徒在祷告时都使用的，就是提醒神祂自己的本性。这不是技巧，而是对迫切祷告的本质有深入和深刻的了解。现代的祷告缺乏古时先知生命所显现的深度和理解。当教会愿意回到有力的祷告时，也只有在那个时候，才能够得到有力的结果。
「有力的祷告带来有力的结果」
进深研究
弥七1-18；诗一零三18，一零八4
1. 弥迦怎样看神？
2. 请写出「怜悯」的定义。
祈祷
慈爱的天父，求您今天向您的教会那将灭的火吹气，也请同时向我吹气，直至灰烬中出现全新的活泼火焰。我奉基督崇高和宝贵的名字祈求，阿们。
From Confusion to Confidence
"In wrath remember mercy"
Bible reading:
Jeremiah 10:12-25
12 But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
13 When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
14 Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; every goldsmith is shamed by his idols. The images he makes are a fraud; they have no breath in them.
15 They are worthless, the objects of mockery; when their judgment comes, they will perish.
16 He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the Maker of all things, including Israel, the people of his inheritance— the Lord Almighty is his name.
17 Gather up your belongings to leave the land, you who live under siege.
18 For this is what the Lord says: "At this time I will hurl out those who live in this land; I will bring distress on them so that they may be captured."
19 Woe to me because of my injury! My wound is incurable! Yet I said to myself, "This is my sickness, and I must endure it."
20 My tent is destroyed; all its ropes are snapped. My children are gone from me and are no more; no one is left now to pitch my tent or to set up my shelter.
21 The shepherds are senseless and do not inquire of the Lord; so they do not prosper and all their flock is scattered.
22 Listen! The report is coming— a great commotion from the land of the north! It will make the towns of Judah desolate, a haunt of jackals.
23 Lord, I know that people's lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.
24 Discipline me, Lord, but only in due measure— not in your anger, or you will reduce me to nothing.
25 Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the peoples who do not call on your name. For they have devoured Jacob; they have devoured him completely and destroyed his homeland.
Message
We are seeing that Habakkuk's chief concern in prayer was not that God should call a halt to His plans, but that there should be a spiritual revival in Judah. The prophet's great fear was that Judah might be overwhelmed, and so he prays, in effect: "Preserve Your witness in our midst, O Lord - keep it alive, don't let it be destroyed."
The Hebrew word "revive" contains the idea of God bending down to the dying embers of a fire and breathing into them until they burst into flame. What an appropriate prayer this is for the Church today. If, like Habakkuk, we would make the Name and glory of God, rather than world events, the prime focus of our praying, we would come closer to the Biblical pattern and be more likely to see His glory revealed.
Before we turn aside from Habakkuk's great prayer and examine the final section of this chapter, we must spend a few moments looking at the final statement in his prayer: "In wrath remember mercy" (Hab. 3:2). The great devotional Bible commentator Matthew Henry says of this phrase: "Habakkuk does not say 'Remember our merit', but 'Lord, remember Thy own mercy'." The prophet uses a method which seems to be characteristic of that of many of the Old Testament saints when at prayer, namely, to remind God of His own nature. This was not a technique but showed a deep and profound understanding of the nature of importunate prayer. Modern-day praying lacks the depth and understanding that we see illustrated in the lives of the ancient prophets. When the Church gets back to powerful praying, then and only then will it get powerful results.
"Powerful praying gets powerful results"
Prayer
Gracious and loving heavenly Father, breathe on the dying embers of Your Church this day - myself included - until out of the ashes comes a new and living flame. This I ask in Christ's peerless and precious Name. Amen.
Further study
Micah 7:1-18
Psalm 103:18; 108:4
1. How did Micah view God?
2. Write out a definition of "mercy"
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