Thursday, 3rd March 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-3 Do Not Be Afraid
God wants us to recognise that He is real, but we need to have this heart and passion for Him, to share the Good News, to cast out the net, and to experience Him. V1 ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.’ How can we rest? We feel like we have a lot to do, but the truth is, we cannot rest, and we cannot be still. We tend to use our ‘doing’ as an excuse not to rest. We worry about our finance, our work, our family… but today God told us that He is our Refuge and Strength. We cannot rest because we do not know God is our strength, we use our own strength, and we try to solve our own problems.
V2-3 ‘Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah.’ When challenges and hardship come, do we pray first? We must always seek God! Every decision we make we must let God take over, He is always there, and He is always with us. It does not mean that we do nothing, but to partnership with God, to communicate with God, to quiet down our hears, and let God’s voice come in. Lift our problems to God and learn to fully rely on Him. God will talk to us and let us act before problems arise, but we cannot be afraid, because a lot of times the things God wants us to do might seem impossible and unreasonable at the time, but if we don’t do it, then gradually we will not be able to hear the voice of God and we will listen more to our own voice.
Section Two V4-7 God Will Help
V4-5 ‘There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.’ When God told King Hezekiah to dig the river, He didn’t say what it was for, it seemed unreasonable at the time, but King Hezekiah obeyed and did it. Later on, the river helped King Hezekiah defeat their enemy, the Assyrians. Do we know that God will help and God prepares for us?
When King Hezekiah humbled himself and seek God, God spoke to him through prophet Isaiah, ‘This shall be a sign to you: You shall eat this year such as grows of itself, and in the second year what springs from the same; also in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and those who escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.’ (2 Kings 19:29-31)
Section Three V8-11 God is With Us
V8-9 ‘Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.’ We do not experience God because we do not see! Do not let God stay in our knowledge but to really see His Great Works and experience Him!
V10-11 ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.’ Be still means to let go! When we face problems, our whole body will tense up and our mind will tell us to solve the problems. Then we will try to solve the problems and focus on our problems. But God tells us to relax, and focus more on Him, let He guide our way, teach us how to act and how to behave. He has the best way!
诗篇 46 – 休息，要知道我是神
2022年3月3日 星期四
潘锡安牧师
神知道我们的光景，用今天的经文帮助我们度过所面对的大环境。耶稣在知道门徒们信心低落、快要回到世界的时候吩咐他们去水深之处打鱼，如今神也借着让我们出去传福音的机会让我们学习信靠神。
一、v.1-3 不要害怕
V1 我们不能够休息，因为想要靠自己的doing去做事、放不下担心的事，但这里经文告诉我们神的三个所“是”。我们听道不能行道，因为不知道神是“我们的避难所，是我们的力量，是我们在患难中随时的帮助”。我们没有倚靠神，当我们遇到困难的时候，很容易直接就用自己的方式去处理，到处理不了的时候才来祷告，然而神要我们先来寻求他。寻求神是在事情发生的时候第一时间就求问神，将问题交给神，之后需要我们去处理我们再去行动。如果我们都是先靠自己处理或者完全不理，我们不是真的休息，因为我们无法真的交托给神。
V2-3 当我们愿意将自己交托给神的时候，周遭所发生的一切都不会影响我们。事情发生的时候，我们有害怕，这是正常的，因为我们都是人，但正是因为害怕，我们知道自己不能解决，才会来寻求、倚靠神。我们可能会说自己祷告时听不到神说话，但我们是否平时在大事小事上跟神沟通？如果不常与神沟通，怎会对他的声音敏感？就好像我们给家人打电话，他们一听到我们的声音就能认出我们，我们是否能认出神的声音？这世上也有很多人说 神对他们讲很多的话，但我们要察验，看他们生命结出的果子，如果这人真的常常有神对他说话，他是会活出合神心意的生命的；如果他的生命并不是合乎圣经的教导，他可能并不是真的听到神的声音。若是真的听到神对我们说话，我们就不要害怕，而是立刻去行出来。若听了神的声音而不做，我们就会变得迟钝，最后就只听到自己认为合理的声音。当我们愿意谦卑顺服，听道而行道，就能训练自己对圣灵的声音敏锐，才能经历真正的休息，在面对环境的艰难、经济的挑战时，我们才能不害怕，因为我们知道神“是我们的避难所，是我们的力量，是我们在患难中随时的帮助”。
二、v.4-7 神必帮助
V4 耶路撒冷城里本来是没有河流的，但当初希西家王登位后专心倚靠神，“无论往何处去尽都亨通”（王下18:7）。他听神的吩咐去修建水道，将水从城外引进来，直到西罗亚池。神一开始并没有完全告知挖河的好处，但希西家王没有质疑，而是单纯顺服，日后这条河就帮助以色列面对敌军的攻击，所以“这河的分汊使神的城欢喜，这城就是至高者居住的圣所”。
V5-6 面对亚述大军的攻击，神“帮助这城”，通过先知以赛亚的话发声:“你听见亚述王的仆人亵渎我的话，不要惧怕。……以色列人哪，我赐你们一个证据：你们今年要吃自生的，明年也要吃自长的，至于后年，你们要耕种收割，栽植葡萄园，吃其中的果子。 犹大家所逃脱余剩的，仍要往下扎根，向上结果。 必有余剩的民从耶路撒冷而出，必有逃脱的人从锡安山而来。耶和华的热心必成就这事”（王下19:6, 29-31）。耶和华神在黑夜中说话，因为我们去寻求他。我们是否愿意在经历黑暗时寻求神？是否在该休息的时候休息？
V7 无论是希西家王所面临的国家危机，还是我们现在遇到经济、工作上的问题，我们是否愿意让神成为我们的避难所？
三、v.8-11 神与我们同在
V8 我们要“看耶和华的作为”，而不只是将神当作头脑里的知识。
V9 当我们愿意去看时，才会看到神的这一切作为。王下19:35-37 叙述了亚述营中“十八万五千人”连同他们的王都被杀，这不是以色列人能办到的，而是万军之耶和华做的。
V10-11 我们遇到问题的时候会紧张，血液会跑到头脑让我们赶紧思考怎么处理。但是神让我们放松，不要去听我们血肉之躯的自然反应。当放松的时候，我们才能来寻求神。我们读到了圣经里记录的神迹奇事，是否愿意相信、是否能观看到神在我们生活中实实在在的作为？在疫情日趋严重、经济动荡、人心惶惶的时候，人要知道真的有神，我们是否愿意将好消息传给他们？神“必在外邦中被尊崇，在遍地上也被尊崇”，要相信神与我们同在，是我们的避难所，再不可能的事情也能成就。