荒漠甘泉05/02

荒漠甘泉∕5 2

原作∕Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

 『耶和華在天上立定寶座,祂的國統管萬有。』(詩一○二篇十九節)

 

有一次,在初春的早晨,我剛開門出外,一陣殘酷、無情的冷風,吹著一陣灰沙,向我撲來。我急躁地埋怨道:『我巴不得這風…』-我意思要說『不再有』;可是這三個字在我喉間擱住了,說不出來。

 

在我途中,這件事繼續停留在我腦海中。 一個天使來了,手中執著一把鑰匙。

他說:『我的主人吩咐我把這一把鑰匙給你。』

我帶著驚奇的口吻問道:『這是甚麼?』天使說:『掌管風的鑰匙,』說罷便不見了。

 

現在我應該非常快樂了。從此可以隨我的心願,隨便對付我所厭惡的風了。我急忙跑到山上,風的庫房就在前面。我上去把東風、西風、北風的門關了,用鑰匙鎖上,又把南風開得更暢一些。我十分得意地說:『世上再沒有殘酷、無情的冷風欺人了。從此植物月月開花,季季結果。年初到年終,都是和暖、可愛的氣候…』言未畢,一股熱氣從門裡沖出來,把我的手灼得痛徹肺腑。地上的青草剎那間都轉黃了,我的得意之作摧殘了全世界的生命。

 

我發急喊道:『我闖了多大的禍啊!我沒有想到它們的需要!我真是多麼愚蠢!』又惘悵、又羞慚,我求主再差遣祂的天使來把鑰匙拿去;我同時允諾說,以後絕不敢再掌管風的鑰匙了。 看哪!主自己站在我旁邊。祂伸出有釘痕的手來把鑰匙拿去,把其餘三扇門都打開。空氣中頓時調和了一股冷風,頓時覺得滿身涼快了。我這時就想到:我是誰,竟敢埋怨主所安排的呢?祂把鑰匙掛在腰間。我問道:『主阿,這風的鑰匙是祂經管的麼?』祂答道:『是的,我的孩子。』看哪!我又看見我生活中所有的鑰匙都掛在那裡。祂看見我臉上帶著驚奇之色,就問我說:『我的孩子,你豈不知道我的國統管萬有麼?』

 

 

 

我回答說:『主阿,是的。既是祂有釘痕的手-滿有愛的手-使用那些鑰匙,叫我遭遇平安或患難、喜樂或憂愁、順境或逆境, 從此以後,無論甚麼事情,我就不再埋怨;都要信靠、安息、讚美。』-披爾斯(Mark Guy Pearse

 
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"The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all." (Psa. 103:19.)

SOME time since, in the early spring, I was going out at my door when round the corner came a blast of east wind─defiant and pitiless, fierce and withering─sending a cloud of dust before it.  I was just taking the latchkey from the door as I said, half impatiently, "I wish the wind would"─I was going to say change; but the word was checked, and the sentence was never finished.

 As I went on my way, the incident became a parable to me. There came an angel holding out a key; and he said:

"My Master sends thee his love, and bids me give you this."

"What is it?" I asked, wondering. "The key of the winds," said the angel, and disappeared.

Now indeed should I be happy. I hurried away up into the heights whence the winds came, and stood amongst the caves. "I will have done with the east wind at any rate─ and that shall plague us no more," I cried; and calling in that friendless wind, I closed the door, and heard the echoes ringing in the hollow places. I turned the key triumphantly. "There," I said, "now we have done with that."

"What shall I choose in its place?" I asked myself, looking about me. "The south wind is pleasant"; and I thought of the lambs, and the young life on every hand, and the flowers that had begun to deck the hedgerows. But as I set the key within the door, it began to burn my hand.

"What am I doing?" I cried; "who knows what mischief I may bring about? How do I know what the fields want! Ten thousand things of ill may come of this foolish wish of mine." Bewildered and ashamed, I looked up and prayed that the Lord would send His angel yet again to take the key; and for my part I promised that I would never want to have it any more.

But lo, the Lord Himself stood by me. He reached His hand to take the key; and as I laid it down, I saw that it rested against the sacred wound-print.

It hurt me indeed that I could ever have murmured against anything wrought by Him who bare such sacred tokens of His love. Then He took the key and hung it on His girdle.

"Dost THOU keep the key of the winds?" I asked.

"I do, my child," He answered graciously.

And lo, I looked again and there hung all the keys of all my life. He saw my look of amazement, and asked, "Didst thou not know, my child, that my kingdom ruleth over all?"

"Over all, my Lord!" I answered; "then it is not safe for me to murmur at anything?" Then did He lay His hand upon me tenderly. "My child," He said, "thy only safety is, in everything, to love and trust and praise."
--- Mark Guy Pearse.

 

 

 

發表於2008/06/19 01:09 (4199閱讀)


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