「過了些日子,溪水就乾了,因為雨沒有下在地上。」(聖經列王紀上十七章 7 節)
一天天地過去,以利亞帶著堅忍不撓的精神,守著那日漸乾涸的溪水;撒但常誘惑他,讓他發生疑懼,但是他始終不准許環境來插在他與神的中間。
我們有時常會藉環境來看上帝,正像在烟霧中看太陽覺得太陽的光輝減少了一樣;但是信心是將上帝放在環境和自己中間的──用上帝的看法來看環境的。
一天天地過去了,那日漸乾涸的溪水只剩下了一條銀色的細線了;銀色的細線不久又斷成了小小的池沼;池沼又漸漸乾涸。飛鳥逃去了;田間和林中的野獸也不再來飲水了;到了一天,溪水全然乾涸了。以利亞忍耐堅持到那時候,才有「耶和華的話臨到他,說,你起身往西頓的撒勒法去……」(聖經列王紀上十七章 8-9 節)。
如果是我們,一定早就急壞了。當水流潺潺的聲音稍為減少了一些的時候,我們感謝讚美的歌聲可能早就停止了;我們會將歌頌神的樂器丟在柳樹枝上,自己卻在枯黃的草地上踏來踏去,焦慮得像失去了魂一般。可能,在溪水乾涸以前,我們早會想出些方法來求神祝福,然後出發往他處去了。
神常按照祂自己的時候來解救我們,因為祂的慈愛是永遠常存的;我們如果肯先等候看清神的旨意,我們便不會流落到不及解救的地步,我們也不會帶著淚眼走回頭路了,我們應當等候,耐心等候神的旨意向我們顯明!。── 梅爾(F. B. Meyer
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"It came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land."(1 Kings 17:7)
WEEK after week, with unfaltering and steadfast spirit, Elijah watched that dwindling brook; often tempted to stagger through unbelief, but refusing to allow his circumstances to come between himself and God. Unbelief sees God through circumstances, as we sometimes see the sun shorn of his rays through smoky air; but faith puts God between itself and circumstances, and looks at them through Him. And so the dwindling brook became a silver thread; and the silver thread stood presently in pools at the foot of the largest boulders; and the pools shrank. The birds fled; the wild creatures of field and forest came no more to drink; the brook was dry. Only then to his patient and unwavering spirit, "the word of the Lord came, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath."
Most of us would have gotten anxious and worn with planning long before that. We should have ceased our songs as soon as the streamlet caroled less musically over its rocky bed; and with harps swinging on the willows, we should have paced to and fro upon the withering grass, lost in pensive thought. And probably, long ere the brook was dry, we should have devised some plan, and asking God's blessing on it, would have started off elsewhere.
God often does extricate us, because His mercy endureth forever; but if we had only waited first to see the unfolding of His plans, we should never found ourselves landed in such an inextricable labyrinth; and we should never have been compelled to retrace our steps with so many tears of shame. Wait, patiently wait! --- F. B. Meyer.
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