Thursday, 23 July 2020
Title: God’s Steadfast Love, Faithfulness and Glory
By: Hon Sir Neng

Psalm 57

The recent pandemic has taken a toll on the whole world. In the past week (or few days), the number of cases in Malaysia seem to be rising. This sudden spike certainly scares us and drives us to fear. “What if the government reinforces MCO?” Thoughts like these have certainly crept into our minds. But today let us read Psalm 57 and hear David’s plea before God while hiding in a cave from Saul.

In the first section, from verses 1-5, we see David crying out to God for help. In crying out to God, he acknowledges God’s mercy and God as his place of refuge (v1). David trusts in God even in the midst of his trouble, while running away from Saul! In trusting God, he trusts in God’s will in fulfilling His purposes in his life (v2). It is worth noting that David was being surrounded by many who were seeking to destroy him. As verse 4 indicates that he was in the midst of lions and the children of man with descriptions that shows their destructive power!

David has such faith in God that even amidst his trouble, He has nothing to fear! Because God is his refuge and His love is steadfast and faithful! Above all these, he says in verse 5 “be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be over all the earth!”. David looked towards God in faith, knowing that God is still exalted even in the midst of his trouble and sorrows. He acknowledged the greatness of God’s glory in these moments!

Moving on to the next section, David further describes those pursuing him. Verse 6 shows us how he is being preyed on. However, they fail as they try to prey on him but get into trouble themselves! Nonetheless, David took this opportunity to praise God even in the midst of all these (v8-9). He gives thanks to God and sings praises to Him among the nations (v9). He does so because of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness (v10).

Interestingly, this section ends with verse 11 saying “be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!” David ends this psalm with these sentences to acknowledge God’s glory that is displayed through His steadfast love and faithfulness. Why is David so “optimistic”, even in the midst of his troubles? This is because he trusts in God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. He is also certain that God’s glory is displayed through His steadfast love and faithfulness.

The question for us today is this: do we acknowledge God’s steadfast love and faithfulness during our troubled times? Even while hiding inside a cave from Saul, David trusted in God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. He even acknowledged that God will be glorified through it, even if things do not go the way he expects it to.

In the New Testament, we see Christ, the True King and the Son of David, suffering just as David did. He was abandoned on the cross. The only difference is that Christ died for sinful people who did not deserve His grace. Nonetheless, we see Christ who placed His trust completely in the Father’s hand in sending Him to the cross and acknowledged that His glorification is done through the most humiliating way. The True King’s act of trust and acknowledgement of the Father’s steadfast love and faithfulness gives us hope and life eternal. Furthermore, it also helps us see how God is glorified.

Prayer

As we reflect on these points, let this psalm direct us to look to Christ for all He did as mentioned above. As we pray, may we look to God trusting and acknowledging His steadfast love and faithfulness towards us in the midst of our own troubles. Let us ask God to turn our eyes towards His glory rather than all the troubles in this world, because He is steadfast and faithful.

每日灵粮
星期四, 2020年7月23日 标题:神的慈爱，信实与荣耀 作者:韩思能

诗篇57

最近的新冠肺炎给整个世界造成了损失。在过去的一周中，马来西亚的病例数似乎正在上升。这 种突然的暴涨无疑使我们感到恐惧，并使我们感到恐惧。“如果政府加强MCO怎么办?”诸如此类 的想法肯定已经渗入我们的脑海。但是今天让我们阅读第57诗篇，中听当大卫正在向扫罗躲避的 时候对上帝面前的恳求。

在第一段，从1到5节，我们看到大卫呼求上帝帮助。在向上帝呼求时，他承认上帝的怜悯和上帝 是他的避难所(第1节)。大卫逃避扫罗的时候，即使在患难中也信靠上帝!他相信上帝，就相信 上帝在他人生中实现自己目标的执意(第2节)。值得注意的是，大卫正被许多试图消灭他的人包 围。正如第4节所指出的，他正处在狮子和各人之间，描述着它们的破坏力!

大卫对上帝充满信心，以至于即使在他的麻烦之中，他也无所畏惧!因为上帝是他的避难所，他 的慈爱和信实!最重要的是，他在第5节说:“神啊，愿你崇高过于诸天!愿你的荣耀高过全地! ”大卫怀着信心朝上帝望去，知道即使在他的苦难中，上帝仍然被高举。在这些时刻，他承认了 上帝荣耀的伟大!

继续下一节，大卫进一步描述了追杀他的人。第6节向我们展示了他如何被追逐。但是，他们在尝 试追逐他时失败了，但自己却陷入困境!尽管如此，大卫还是借此机会赞美上帝(8到9节)。他 在万国中感谢上帝，并向他唱赞歌(第9节)。他这样做是因为上帝的慈爱和信实(第10节)。

有趣的是，本节以第11节结尾:“神啊，愿你崇高过于诸天!愿你的荣耀高过全地!”大卫以这 些句子结尾这首诗篇，以承认神的荣耀，这是通过他的慈爱和信实表现出来的。为什么大卫即使 在遇到麻烦时也如此乐观?这是因为他相信上帝的慈爱和信实。他还确信，上帝的荣耀是通过他 的慈爱和信实表现出来的。

今天我们面临的问题是:我们在苦难时期承认上帝的慈爱和信实吗?即使向扫罗在的洞穴中躲藏 时，大卫也相信上帝坚定不移的爱与忠诚。他甚至承认，即使事情没有按照他的预期去做，上帝 也会被荣耀和高举。

在新约中，我们看到基督，真正的国王和大卫的儿子像大卫一样受苦。他被遗弃在十字架上。唯 一的区别是基督为那些不配得到他恩典的罪人蒙受了痛苦。尽管如此，我们仍然看到基督将他的 信任完全放在了父的手中，后者将他送到十字架上，并承认他的荣耀是通过最屈辱的方式完成的 。真正的国王对天父的慈爱和信实的信任和认可，使我们获得了希望和永恒的生命。此外，它还 帮助我们了解神是如何荣耀的。
祷告

当我们思考这些要点时，请这篇诗篇指导我们去看一下基督为基督所做的一切。当我们祈祷时， 愿我们期待上帝在自己遇到的麻烦中信任和承认他对我们的慈爱和信实。让我们因着上帝的慈爱 和信实求他将我们的目光投向他的荣耀，而不是世上的一切麻烦。