0812 安息在神裡面的神學
你們這小信的人哪，為什麼膽怯呢？ 《馬太福音 8:26》
當我們懼怕的時候，我們最起碼能做的就是向神祈禱。但我們的主有權期望那些稱呼祂名的人對祂有根本的信心。神期待祂的孩子們如此的信任祂，以至於在任何危機中，他們都是可靠的人。然而，我們對神的信任只到某種程度，然後我們又迴轉到驚慌失措的禱告初階，像那些甚至不認識神的人。我們束手無策，顯明我們對祂或對祂全權掌管這個世界沒有絲毫信心。在我們看來，祂似乎睡著了，而我們看不見什麼，只看到眼前海上巨大破浪。
「…你們這小信的人哪！」當門徒想到自己：「我們又沒錯失目標了！」穿透他們的心的，一定是何等大的痛苦啊！當我們突然明白，儘管我們正在面臨的，藉着我們保持對耶穌絕對的信心，原本就可以在在耶穌的心中產生完全徹底的喜樂，那時我們經歷到的痛苦，會是何等的猛烈啊！
有時我們的生活中沒有風暴或危機，我們會盡一切人所能及的努力。但當危機出現時，我們就會立即暴露出我們所依賴的人是誰。如果我們一直在學習敬拜神並信任祂，危機會顯出我們可能崩潰的點，但不會破壞我們對祂的信任。
關於成聖，我們已經談論了很多，但是這在我們的生活中會產生什麼結果呢？它將在我們的生活中表現出平安地安息在神裡面，這意味着與神完全的合一。這種合一不僅使我們在祂眼中無可指責，也會成為祂極大的喜樂。
來自章伯斯的智慧
亞伯拉罕的一生是兩件事的例證：毫無保留地降服於神，以及神為了祂自己至高目的而完全擁有祂的孩子。《不知往何處去》
0812 The Theology of Resting in God
Why are you fearful, O you of little faith? —Matthew 8:26
When we are afraid, the least we can do is pray to God. But our Lord has a right to expect that those who name His name have an underlying confidence in Him. God expects His children to be so confident in Him that in any crisis they are the ones who are reliable. Yet our trust is only in God up to a certain point, then we turn back to the elementary panic-stricken prayers of those people who do not even know God. We come to our wits’ end, showing that we don’t have even the slightest amount of confidence in Him or in His sovereign control of the world. To us He seems to be asleep, and we can see nothing but giant, breaking waves on the sea ahead of us.
“…O you of little faith!” What a stinging pain must have shot through the disciples as they surely thought to themselves, “We missed the mark again!” And what a sharp pain will go through us when we suddenly realize that we could have produced complete and utter joy in the heart of Jesus by remaining absolutely confident in Him, in spite of what we were facing.
There are times when there is no storm or crisis in our lives, and we do all that is humanly possible. But it is when a crisis arises that we instantly reveal upon whom we rely. If we have been learning to worship God and to place our trust in Him, the crisis will reveal that we can go to the point of breaking, yet without breaking our confidence in Him.
We have been talking quite a lot about sanctification, but what will be the result in our lives? It will be expressed in our lives as a peaceful resting in God, which means a total oneness with Him. And this oneness will make us not only blameless in His sight, but also a profound joy to Him.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The life of Abraham is an illustration of two things: of unreserved surrender to God, and of God’s complete possession of a child of His for His own highest end. —Not Knowing Whither, 901 R