0912 經歷靈性困惑
耶穌回答說：「你們不知道所求的是什麼。」 《馬太福音 20:22》
在你的靈命中，有時會有困惑，而走出困惑的方法並不是簡單地說你不應該困惑。那不是對錯的問題，而是神正帶領你走一條你暫時還不理解的道路。只有通過經歷這種靈性上的困惑，你才會明白神對你的心意。
祂的友誼被遮蔽（見路加福音11:5-8）。耶穌在這裡給了一個比喻，說明一個人看似漠不關心他的朋友；實際上祂是在說，這就是有時天父對你看起來是什麼樣子。你會認為祂是一個不恩慈的朋友，但請記住——祂不是。有一天，最終一切都會得到解釋。心靈里的友情似乎蒙上了一層烏雲，甚至愛本身也必須在痛苦和眼淚中等待更完整契合的祝福。當神看似完全被遮蔽時，你還會堅持對祂的信心嗎？
祂父性的陰影（見路加福音 11:11-13）。耶穌說，有時候，你的天父看似一個不自然的父親——好像祂是冷酷無情——但請記住，祂不是。「…凡祈求的，就得着。」（路加福音11:10）。如果你現在只看到天父臉上的陰影，請堅持這個事實：祂最終會讓你清楚明白一切，並完全證明祂允許進入你生命中一切事物的正當性。
祂信實之陌生（見路加福音 18:1-8）。「人子來的時候，遇得見世上有信德嗎？」（路加福音 18:8）。祂會找到儘管困惑卻仍信靠祂的信心嗎？要在信心中站穩，相信耶穌所說的是真的，儘管當下你並不明白神在做什麼，但祂有比你現在向祂祈求的更重要的議題。
來自章伯斯的智慧
祂將要擅自使用你的生命呢？還是你醉心於你對自己未來的構想？神對我們的生命負責，一個偉大的主旨就是不計後果地信賴祂。《蒙神悅納》
0912 Going Through Spiritual Confusion
Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask.” —Matthew 20:22
There are times in your spiritual life when there is confusion, and the way out of it is not simply to say that you should not be confused. It is not a matter of right and wrong, but a matter of God taking you through a way that you temporarily do not understand. And it is only by going through the spiritual confusion that you will come to the understanding of what God wants for you.
The Shrouding of His Friendship (see Luke 11:5-8). Jesus gave the illustration here of a man who appears not to care for his friend. He was saying, in effect, that is how the heavenly Father will appear to you at times. You will think that He is an unkind friend, but remember— He is not. The time will come when everything will be explained. There seems to be a cloud on the friendship of the heart, and often even love itself has to wait in pain and tears for the blessing of fuller fellowship and oneness. When God appears to be completely shrouded, will you hang on with confidence in Him?
The Shadow on His Fatherhood (see Luke 11:11-13). Jesus said that there are times when your Father will appear as if He were an unnatural father— as if He were callous and indifferent— but remember, He is not. “Everyone who asks receives…” (Luke 11:10). If all you see is a shadow on the face of the Father right now, hang on to the fact that He will ultimately give you clear understanding and will fully justify Himself in everything that He has allowed into your life.
The Strangeness of His Faithfulness (see Luke 18:1-8). “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). Will He find the kind of faith that counts on Him in spite of the confusion? Stand firm in faith, believing that what Jesus said is true, although in the meantime you do not understand what God is doing. He has bigger issues at stake than the particular things you are asking of Him right now.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Is He going to help Himself to your life, or are you taken up with your conception of what you are going to do? God is responsible for our lives, and the one great keynote is reckless reliance upon Him. —Approved Unto God, 10 R