神的异象
一丁点儿经验
经文
创世记二十二1-19
1这些事以后，神要试验亚伯拉罕，就呼叫他说：亚伯拉罕！他说：我在这里。
2神说：你带着你的儿子，就是你独生的儿子，你所爱的以撒，往摩利亚地去，在我所要指示你的山上，把他献为燔祭。
3亚伯拉罕清早起来，备上驴，带着两个仆人和他儿子以撒，也劈好了燔祭的柴，就起身往神所指示他的地方去了。
4到了第三日，亚伯拉罕举目远远的看见那地方。
5亚伯拉罕对他的仆人说：你们和驴在此等候，我与童子往那里去拜一拜，就回到你们这里来。
6亚伯拉罕把燔祭的柴放在他儿子以撒身上，自己手里拿着火与刀；于是二人同行。
7以撒对他父亲亚伯拉罕说：父亲哪！亚伯拉罕说：我儿，我在这里。以撒说：请看，火与柴都有了，但燔祭的羊羔在那里呢？
8亚伯拉罕说：我儿，神必自己预备作燔祭的羊羔。于是二人同行。
9他们到了神所指示的地方，亚伯拉罕在那里筑坛，把柴摆好，捆绑他的儿子以撒，放在坛的柴上。
10亚伯拉罕就伸手拿刀，要杀他的儿子。
11耶和华的使者从天上呼叫他说：亚伯拉罕！亚伯拉罕！他说：我在这里。
12天使说：你不可在这童子身上下手。一点不可害他！现在我知道你是敬畏神的了；因为你没有将你的儿子，就是你独生的儿子，留下不给我。
13亚伯拉罕举目观看，不料，有一只公羊，两角扣在稠密的小树中，亚伯拉罕就取了那只公羊来，献为燔祭，代替他的儿子。
14亚伯拉罕给那地方起名叫耶和华以勒（意思就是耶和华必预备），直到今日人还说：在耶和华的山上必有预备。
15耶和华的使者第二次从天上呼叫亚伯拉罕说：
16耶和华说：你既行了这事，不留下你的儿子，就是你独生的儿子，我便指着自己起誓说：
17论福，我必赐大福给你；论子孙，我必叫你的子孙多起来，如同天上的星，海边的沙。你子孙必得着仇敌的城门，
18并且地上万国都必因你的后裔得福，因为你听从了我的话。
19于是亚伯拉罕回到他仆人那里，他们一同起身往别是巴去，亚伯拉罕就住在别是巴。
信息分享
以赛亚得到洁净后，立刻听到神高声呼喊：「我可以差遣谁呢？谁肯为我们去呢？」以赛亚立即回应说：「我在这里，请差遣我。」（赛六8）。
神有无数天使，他们喜欢为神效劳，但祂却希望固执和不驯服的人类加入祂的队伍。这对我来说总是一个奥秘。但当你细想这件事时，就会发现天使缺少了在地上作神使者所需要的一件事──经验。天使可以更雄辩地讲出神的真理，更有力地提出神的论证，但他们对恩典的经验一无所知，至少在主观上是这样。他们看见恩典在我们生命中发挥作用，但却从未经历过恩典在自己身上发挥作用。
有这么一句古老的话：「一丁点儿经验抵得上大量的理论。」这是多么真实啊。我可以确认，带领你接受主基督的人自己也经历过神的恩典。我知道有些人在聆听未信主的人谈论福音时竟然信主。不过，这是例外而不是常规。「谁肯为我们去呢？」这句话背后的含义是地上的任务需要由地上的男男女女来完成。以赛亚毫不犹疑地接受这任务。你呢？神是否正在呼召你接受某些任务，而你却感到犹疑不肯定？也许那是因为你接受主给你的异象时力度不够。那些看见祂，真的看见祂的人，不能不说：「我在这里，请差遣我。」
「神希望固执的人群加入祂的队伍」
进深研究
林前一18-31；约十五16；徒九15；雅二5
1. 神拣选了怎样的人？
2. 主向亚拿尼亚说甚么？
祈祷
神啊！我每天总是看到您更多的荣耀，但求您让我看到您令人慑服的异象，以粉碎我所有的自私。无论您呼召我做甚么，求您帮助我回应说：「我在这里，请差遣我。」阿们。
The Vision of God
"An ounce of experience"
Bible reading:
Genesis 22:1-19
1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.
2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you."
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.
4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.
5 He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together,
7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"
8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.
9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.
12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.
14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided."
15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time
16 and said, "I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,
17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,
18 and through your offspring[b] all nations on earth will be blessed,[c] because you have obeyed me."
19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.
Message
As soon as Isaiah has been cleansed, he hears God's voice crying out: "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" Isaiah immediately responds: "Here am I. Send me!" (Isa. 6:8).
It is always a mystery to me that God wants stubborn and recalcitrant human beings on His team when He has ranks of angels who delight to do His bidding. But when you think of it, angels are limited by the one thing that is needful for God's ambassadors on earth - experience. Angels could put God's truth more eloquently, and present the divine arguments more powerfully, but they know nothing of the experience of grace, at least subjectively. They witness it at work in our lives, but they have never experienced it at work in themselves.
An old saying goes like this: "An ounce of experience is worth a ton of theory." How true. I can almost guarantee that the person who influenced you to come to Christ was himself or herself someone who had experienced the grace of God. I know people have been converted when listening to other people talk about the gospel who were not converted themselves. However, that is more the exception than the rule. The implication behind the words "Who will go for us?" is that the task on earth has to be done by the men and women on earth. Isaiah didn't hesitate. What about you? Is God calling you to some task, and you feel hesitant and uncertain? Perhaps it is because you have not had a powerful enough vision of the Lord. Those who see Him - really see Him - cannot help but say: "Here am I. Send me!"
"God wants stubborn human beings on His team"
Prayer
O God, day by day I am seeing more of Your glory, but give me an overwhelming vision of Yourself that will shatter every one of my self-concerns. Help me say in response to whatever You are calling me to: "Here am I. Send me!" Amen.
Further study
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
John 15:16
Acts 9:15
James 2:5
1. What sort of people has God chosen?
2. What did the Lord say to Ananias?
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