从迷惘到信靠
神永恒的本性
经文
诗篇一一八1-21
1你们要称谢耶和华，因他本为善；他的慈爱永远长存！
2愿以色列说：他的慈爱永远长存！
3愿亚伦的家说：他的慈爱永远长存！
4愿敬畏耶和华的说：他的慈爱永远长存！
5我在急难中求告耶和华，他就应允我，把我安置在宽阔之地。
6有耶和华帮助我，我必不惧怕，人能把我怎么样呢？
7在那帮助我的人中，有耶和华帮助我，所以我要看见那恨我的人遭报。
8投靠耶和华，强似倚赖人；
9投靠耶和华，强似倚赖王子。
10万民围绕我，我靠耶和华的名必剿灭他们。
11他们环绕我，围困我，我靠耶和华的名必剿灭他们。
12他们如同蜂子围绕我，好像烧荆棘的火，必被熄灭；
我靠耶和华的名，必剿灭他们。
13你推我，要叫我跌倒，但耶和华帮助了我。
14耶和华是我的力量，是我的诗歌；他也成了我的拯救。
15在义人的帐棚里，有欢呼拯救的声音；耶和华的右手施展大能。
16耶和华的右手高举；耶和华的右手施展大能。
17我必不致死，仍要存活，并要传扬耶和华的作为。
18耶和华虽严严地惩治我，却未曾将我交于死亡。
19给我敞开义门；我要进去称谢耶和华！
20这是耶和华的门；义人要进去！
21我要称谢你，因为你已经应允我，又成了我的拯救！
信息分享
我们要继续讨论前几天的主题，那就是：如何建立一个能思考问题的属灵处境。钟马田（Martyn Lloyd-Jones）博士在谈及类似的事情时说：「在你开始思考任何问题时，都不能只顾眼前的困难，而是需要运用『间接手法的策略』来着手于问题的开始」。
「间接手法的策略」是一个军事用语，可以用盟军在第二次世界大战战胜德国来说明。有一段时间，盟军的军事力量不是集中在德国，而是德国在北非的力量。德国在那里被打败──透过间接手法的策略，那时正是结局的开始。属灵迷惘这个问题也必须以同样的方式对付──我们必须从较前的，而不是眼前的困难开始。我们该怎么做？我们必须做哈巴谷所做的事，用绝对肯定、完全没有疑问的事情来提醒自己，换句话说，就是那些定点。例如神永恒的本性是一个定点。「你不是从亘古而有吗？」（哈一12）。哈巴谷专注于神永恒的本性时，他暂时忘记自己的燃眉之急，而向自己保证神与列国所敬拜的神不同，它们只是列国制造的偶像，但神是从亘古到永恒，无始也无终。因此，神先于历史，并会超越历史继续下去。正如有人说，历史其实是神的故事。
「神先于历史，并会超越历史继续下去」
进深研究
诗一四五1-13；申三十三27；启一8
1. 耶稣向约翰宣告甚么？
2. 这对你有甚么意义？
祈祷
天父，求您今天以您永恒本性的意识充满我。您没有开始，也没有终结的时候。求您帮助我将我的锚放在这给人保证的启示上。奉耶稣的名求。阿们。
From Confusion to Confidence
God's eternal nature
Bible reading:
Psalm 118:1-21
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
2 Let Israel say: "His love endures forever."
3 Let the house of Aaron say: "His love endures forever."
4 Let those who fear the Lord say: "His love endures forever."
5 When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place.
6 The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.
10 All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
11 They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
12 They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
13 I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and my defense[a]; he has become my salvation.
15 Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: "The Lord's right hand has done mighty things!
16 The Lord's right hand is lifted high; the Lord's right hand has done mighty things!"
17 I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
18 The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death.
19 Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter.
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.
Message
We continue looking at how to establish a spiritual context in which to think through a problem. Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones, when speaking on a similar matter, said: "When you start to think about any particular difficulty, you must not focus on your immediate problem. Begin further back. Apply the strategy of the indirect approach."
The phrase, "strategy of the indirect approach" is a military one, and can be illustrated by the way the Allies overcame Germany in World War II. For a while the military campaign of the Allies focused, not on Germany, but on German forces in North Africa. When Germany was defeated there - through the strategy of the indirect approach - it was the beginning of the end. The problem of spiritual confusion must be dealt with in the same way - we must begin, not so much with the present problem, but further back.
How do we do that? We must do what Habakkuk did and remind ourselves of the things about which we are absolutely certain, things which are entirely beyond doubt. In other words - the fixed points. For example, the eternal nature of God is a fixed point. "Are you not from everlasting?" (Hab. 1:12). As Habakkuk focuses on God's eternal nature, he forgets for a moment his immediate problem and reassures himself that God is not like the gods whom the heathen nations worship - idols they have made themselves - but He is from everlasting to everlasting, without beginning and without end. By reason of this, He has preceded history and will continue beyond it. In fact, as it has been said, history is really His-story.
"He has preceded history and will continue beyond it"
Prayer
O Father, fill my heart today with the consciousness of Your eternal nature. There was never a time when You began and there will never be a time when You will end. Help me drop my anchor in this reassuring revelation. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Further study
Psalm 145:1-13
Deuteronomy 33:27
Revelation 1:8
1. What did Jesus declare to John?
2. What does this mean for you?
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