Wednesday, 15 July 2020
Title: Be Still!
Author: Pastor Wallace Ong

Psalm 46:10a – “Be still, and know that I am God;”

Have you ever been caught in an unexpected heavy downpour of a thunderstorm? This happened to me a few months ago when I took my family out for a quick lunch. My car was parked in an open-air area quite a distance away and without having any rain coat or umbrella, it was quite a challenge for us to get back to the car. I suddenly realized that I have an appointment waiting for me that afternoon. My wife, Grace, also had to rush home to get the dinner ready because we were expecting some guests in the evening. And my son, Carter, was eager to get back to his home-schooling work schedule. We could have gotten ourselves totally drenched if we had decided to run to our car in the rain.

With so many things yet to be done, we could react with, much anxiety and frustration, and might even blame each other for being so unprepared. However, we decided to walk to a coffee place a few doors away to sit and wait for the rain to stop. It was indeed a safe place to rest in the midst of the storm. As we gradually settled down, we calmly rearranged our afternoon plans. We took the opportunity to rest from our daily busy schedules over a cup of coffee and enjoyed each other’s company for a good one hour. The rain finally stopped. We walked back to our car having enjoyed a great family time together.

If we look at the global pandemic situation today, we may feel as if we are being caught in an unexpected thunderstorm, and in some parts of the world, it is more like a hurricane. We feel vulnerable, not sure where to find protection and peace. For most of us, this fear of being infected with the disease is overwhelming; we have never before faced with the reality of an invisible enemy that is lurking around in every corner. Normal life activities that previously seem so routine and ordinary now make us feel anxious and insecure. This includes our job, our business venture, attending the church, visiting a friend or simply running an errand for our home.  We are expected to live a new normal even post-pandemic. 

Psalm 46 reminds us that our hope is in Jesus as our refuge and strong fortress – a hiding place we can run to for protection from life’s unexpected and scary moments. Jesus is strong enough to shield us from the fiercest of our enemies. Most important of all, we need to learn to “be still” and know that HE is GOD. As God had commanded the people of Israel, He was not only telling them to “be still” or “to rest”, but to “stop fighting,” “cease striving” and opened their eyes to see who He is – the Almighty GOD of the heaven and the earth.

He is the God who has power over the universe and is in control of all things. In the midst of conflict and life turmoil, we just need to open our eyes, step back, stop what we’re doing, and acknowledge who God is and what He can do. He will surely grant us comfort and peace in the midst of our struggles. As we fix our eyes on Him in prayer and rest in him, we will be able to see things with a new perspective, and be revitalized with new wisdom, and strength, freely and bountifully given by Him.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we praise You for Your faithfulness and Your steadfast love which endures forever. Your precious Word and promises encourage us to rest in Your love. We acknowledge that You are God. We ask that You give us a clear and discerning mind. Give us the ability to be still and know that You are our God. Grant us peace even when the world around us is filled with strife and conflicts. Open our eyes and increase our faith to trust in You as we wait upon You to work through circumstances, and people to carry us through difficult times. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

每日灵粮
星期三, 2020年7月15日
标题：保持安静！
作者：王振威传道
翻译：杨惠光弟兄

诗篇46：10a “你们要休息，要知道我是神！”

您是否曾经被一场突如其来的雷雨所困住？几个月前，当我带家人出去吃午餐时，这件事发生了。我的车停在距离很远的露天泊车场，没有雨衣或雨伞，这对我们来说是很大的挑战。我突然想起，那天下午我有个约会。我的妻子Grace也必须赶回家准备晚饭，招待晚上要来拜访的客人。我的儿子Carter希望可以回家，按着在家上课的时间表上课。如果我们决意在大雨中走回车里去，我们肯定会完全湿透。

要做的事情还很多，我们会感到焦虑和沮丧，甚至会因为没有做好准备而互相指责。但是，我们决定步行到附近的咖啡厅坐下，等雨停下来。确实在暴风雨中这是一个安全休息的地方。随着我们逐渐安顿下来，我们从容淡定地重新安排下午的计划。我们借此机会在忙碌的一天中休息，喝杯咖啡，享受了一个小时的家人相互陪伴。雨终于停了。享受一起度过愉快家庭时光的我们重新回到了车上。

如果我们看一下当今全球大流行的疫情，我们可能会感觉好像被卷入了一场意外的暴风雨中，在其他地方，它更像是飓风。我们感到脆弱，不确定在哪里可以找到保障与平安。对于我们大多数人来说，感染这种疾病的恐惧是压倒性的。我们从未面对过潜伏在各个角落的无形敌人的现实。以前看起来如此平常和普通的正常生活活动现在使我们感到焦虑和不安全。这包括我们的工作，我们的企业，参加教堂，拜访朋友或甚至办我们的家务事。就算在疫情之后，我们也需开始一个新常态生活。

诗篇46提醒我们，我们的希望在于耶稣，作为我们的避难所和坚固的堡垒—我们可以逃往这个隐蔽的地方，保护自己免受生命中意想不到及恐怖时刻的伤害。耶稣有能力保护我们免受敌人最猛烈的攻击。最重要的是，我们需要学习“停下来休息”，并知道他是神。正如上帝命令以色列人民一样，他不仅要告诉他们“静下来”或“休息”，而且要“停止战斗”，“停止奋斗”，并睁开眼睛看看他是谁— 全世界的全能上帝。

他是掌管整个宇宙并掌控万物的上帝。在冲突和生活动荡中，我们只需要睁开眼睛，退后一步，停止我们正在做的事情，并承认他是上帝，他能做什么。在我们的斗争中，他一定会给予我们安慰与和平。当我们在祷告中注视着他并在他里面安息时，我们将能够以新的视角看待事物，并以新的智慧和力量重生，这是他自由而慷慨给予的。

祷告：

亲爱的天父，我们赞美祢的信实和永远坚定的爱。祢宝贵的话语和应许鼓励我们安息在你的爱中。我们承认祢是上帝。祈求祢赐我们思绪清晰，辨明是非。让我们有能力保持安静，并知道你是我们的上帝。即使我们周围的世界充满冲突，求赐我们平安。当我们在任何情况下工作，而人们在艰难时期中带领我们前进时，在困难的日子里，开我们的眼并增强我们的信心来信靠祢，去面对不同的人和环境。奉主耶稣的名祷告，阿们。