牧者心聲
跟隨基督 處變不驚
譚廣海牧師
2024 年 7 月 27 日 / 28 日
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北宣家的弟兄姊妹常在團契小組裡查考聖經，對詩篇尤其鍾愛，原因是神的聖言除了給我們安慰與提醒之外，還能成為我們持守信仰的動力，深化我們祈禱守望的生活。以詩篇二十九篇為例，詩人宣告所有住在耶和華殿中的人都要向祂說「榮耀」！看啊，耶和華正對著洪水而坐，祂永遠坐在寶座上為王！祂必賜力量給祂的子民，以平安賜福給祂的子民（詩二十九9-11）。因此我們不要為現今的遭遇增添多餘的愁煩，又或靠己力謀求解決方法，倒要學習信靠等候、尊主為大的功課，藉著祂所賜的力量應對困難，經歷祂的同在。
誠然，我們因頻繁疫症產生的恐懼、戰爭導致糧食短缺、經濟不振的陰霾，大大削弱了信仰生活的穩定性。我們檢視弟兄姊妹在教會聚會事奉的狀況，發覺情況不大如前。事實上要信徒恆常出席聚會，已變得越來越難，若想招募訓練他們投入事奉，我們也發覺參加人數不似預期，成效不彰。我們怎樣才能脫困？該怎樣才能穩實地跟隨基督？如何在這世代如明光照耀，將生命的道顯明出來，讓看見的人歸榮耀給主（腓二15-16）？
請看詩篇四十六篇，詩人叫我們在荒涼之地親近神，得著祂所賜的福分。這首詩的鑰節是：「你們要休息，要知道我是神」（詩四十六10），詩人宣告，在地裂山崩、海浪翻騰的環境中，我們也不需害怕，只要認定神是保障我們的避難所，我們就能在祂的聖所中充滿喜樂。經文提及的「休息」，可有不同的翻譯，意指住手或停手、安靜或鎮靜等多重涵義，詩人警告列國要停手，因為神將要藉著折弓斷矛、焚燒戰車的行動，親自拯救每一個屬祂的子民。及後詩人亦勸勉神的子民：學習靜默的功課，放手等候神施恩的作為。我們要靠著神的同在，讓心靈得以鎮靜，並要以神為神（let God be God），讓祂帶領我們跨出逆境。
感謝神藉著7月的晨更祈禱會，使我們愛慕神的心熱切起來。在默想祈禱的過程中，聖靈幫助我們的眼目定焦在跟隨基督的事上，領受信心繼續前行。在荒涼困乏的處境中親近神，既能為我們的信仰生命培育堅毅不屈的心志，也能為我們帶來與神相遇的深刻經歷，那是我們持續跟隨基督的動力。無論怎樣，我們信靠的耶穌基督，在昨日、今日、直到永遠都是一樣的（來十三8）。祂同在的應許與榮耀的作為使我們處變不驚，亦為我們在跟隨祂的路上清除路障，叫我們不必自我恐懼。
The Book of Psalms is the favorite among brothers and sisters of the NPAC family for Bible studies in our fellowships. Besides giving us comfort and reminders, God's holy word can also be our motivation to hold fast to our faith and deepen our life of prayers and keeping watch. Take Psalm 29 as an example. The psalmist proclaims that all heavenly beings are to ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His name. He sits enthroned over the flood. He is enthroned as King forever. He gives strength to His people. He blesses His people with peace (Psalm 29:9-11). Therefore, we need not be excessively bothered about what befalls us at the present time, nor should we seek solutions by our own strength. What we really need is to learn to trust and wait on the LORD and glorify Him. We need to face the difficulties with the strength from Him and experience His presence.
It is true that fears from repeated pandemic, food shortages due to wars and the gloom from an ailing economy have all affected the stability of our faith life. A review of brothers and sisters' attendance in church meetings and participation in ministries has revealed that the situation is not as good as before. It is now increasingly difficult to expect brothers and sisters to attend church meetings regularly. Trainings to equip them to serve are attended by fewer than expected, and the effectiveness is not apparent. How can we overcome all these difficulties? How do we follow Christ steadily and pragmatically? How do we shine among this generation like stars in the sky as we hold firmly to the word of life so the Lord is glorified (Philippians 2:15-16)?
Please read Psalm 46. The psalmist asks us to draw close to God in desolations to receive His blessings. The key verse of this Psalm is "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). The psalmist proclaims that we need not fear when the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, when its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. We only need to know without a doubt that God is our refuge and we will be filled with joy in His Holy Temple. "Be still" in this passage can be translated in different ways that means let go or cease, be quiet or relax, etc. The psalmist warns that the nations should stop fighting as God will break the bow, shatter the spear and burn the shields with fire to rescue each and every one of His people. The psalmist also exhorts the people of God to learn the lesson of being still, to let go and wait on God for His gracious works. We need to rely on the presence of God to calm our souls. Let God be God and He will lead us out of adversity.
Thanks be to God, through the Dawn Prayer Meetings in July, our love of God has been kindled. During meditation and prayer, the Holy Spirit helped us to focus on the matters of following Christ, take on greater faith to proceed forward and draw close to God in a barren and difficult environment. That will not only add persistence to our faith, but also enable us to experience encounters with God. That would be the motivation for us to keep following Christ. No matter what, Jesus Christ in Whom we believe is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). His promise to be with us and His mighty works will help us to stay calm amid changes. They will also clear the obstacles for us to follow Him so we are no longer fearful from within.
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