今天我们继续昨天的讨论：如果我们能够接受自己不会立刻明白神所做的事情和旨意，那么我们的困惑就会大大的减少。我们必须接受基督徒生命的其中一个基本原则──神的处事方式有很多是与我们认为祂应有的做法正好相反。要是我在早年的基督徒生命过程中有接受过这样的教导，我就能免去很多属灵上的挣扎。我大部分的疑惑都是因为我不明白我是在与一个全能的思维打交道──神的想法跟我的想法不同。

神的道路深不可测，祂的思想是无限和永恒的，祂的目的超乎理解。我们与这么伟大和全能的神相交时，祂容许一些令我们感到困惑的事情发生完全不足为奇。倘若我们坚持生命中的一切都要清楚明白，那么我们就会与诗人处于相同的境况中──充满疑惑、幻灭和恐惧。

不过我们要留意，疑惑不一定就是罪。惟有当我们容许疑惑令我们感到绝望时，疑惑才是错的。正如今天的经文显示，使徒保罗疑惑，但却不至失望。所以你得小心理解这个分别。我们如果说：「我不知道发生了甚么。」这没有甚么不对；但若是说：「神不知道发生了甚么。」那就是极其愚昧无知了。

Today we stay with the thought that half our spiritual perplexities would never arise if we started out by being prepared not to understand immediately the things that God does or allows. We must accept that one of the fundamental principles of the Christian life is the truth that there will be many times when God will work things out in a manner exactly opposite to the way we think He should. If I had been taught this in the early days of my Christian life, it would have saved me from many spiritual struggles. Most of my perplexities arose because I failed to realise that I was dealing with a mind that is omniscient - that God's mind is not like my mind.

The ways of God are inscrutable; His mind is infinite and eternal and His purposes are beyond understanding. When we are dealing with such a great and mighty God it should not surprise us that He allows things to happen which we find perplexing. If we insist that everything in life should be plain, we shall soon find ourselves in the state in which the psalmist found himself - full of doubt, disillusionment and fear.

We should note, however, that perplexity is not necessarily sinful. It only becomes wrong when we allow our perplexity to drive us to despair. The apostle Paul, as our text for today shows us, was perplexed but he was not in despair. Make sure you understand the distinction. It is not foolish or wrong to say: "I don't know what is happening. It is only foolish to say: "God doesn't know what is happening."