Have you ever been in a situation where nothing much is happening despite doing everything that is humanly possible? Some might respond by saying, “This is exactly what I am experiencing right now!”. Well, there is something that we can do even if nothing is going according to plan although we are applying our best efforts.
Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NKJV) Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls— Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.
The World Bank reported in its latest Global Economic Prospects, “The coronavirus pandemic inflicted a ‘swift and massive shock’ that has caused the broadest collapse of the global economy since 1870 despite unprecedented government support. The world economy is expected to contract by 5.2 percent this year — the worst recession in 80 years — but the sheer number of countries suffering economic losses means the scale of the downturn is worse than any recession in 150 years.”
This report presents a negative picture of the world economic situation similar to the negative situation in the scripture above. The natural reaction to failure and loss would be grief or complaints, but the Bible encourages us to put our faith in God and His Word! Our faith in God is not built on a set of formulas to seek the hand of God to obtain His blessings. Instead we are placing our faith in God who loves us, and to have complete trust that He has a good plan for us and a desire to spend eternity with us. Therefore, it should be very natural for us to seek Him when we are hard pressed on every side, to be comforted, loved and assured by Him.
Let us decide to praise and worship God for His faithfulness, no matter how devastating the circumstances. Let us look through the eyes of faith at God’s plan for the future! We should choose to praise and worship God despite the fact that the circumstance or situation has not yet changed.
Our continued praise and exultation of the Lord will sustain us during our trials and tribulations.
If the devil cannot steal our joy, then we can continue to lean on God’s grace and persevere until our breakthrough!
Sermon Series: What to Do When You Do Not Know What to Do
相信神会让我们突破
你是否曾遇到过这样的情况：尽管尽了最大的努力，却没看到有很大的改变？有人可能会回应说，“这正是我现在所经历的！”。我们还是可以做一些事情，即使在我们尽了最大的努力后，一切还是没有按我们的计划进行。
哈巴谷书 3:17-19 虽然无花果树不发旺，葡萄树不结果，橄榄树也不效力，田地不出粮食，圈中绝了羊，棚内也没有牛；然而，我要因耶和华欢欣，因救我的 神喜乐。主耶和华是我的力量；他使我的脚快如母鹿的蹄，又使我稳行在高处。
世界银行在其最新的《全球经济展望》报告中说，“新冠病毒的爆发造成了‘迅速而巨大的冲击’，即使政府给予前所未有的支持，但还是造成了自1870年以来最广泛的全球经济崩溃”。预计今年世界经济将收缩5.2%，这是80年来最严重的衰退，但遭受经济损失的国家数量之多意味着这次衰退的规模是150年来最严重的一次。”
这报告呈现的负面世界经济形势与上述经文所描述的相似。我们在面对失败和亏损时的自然反应是悲伤或抱怨，但圣经鼓励我们相信神和祂的话！我们对神的信心不是建立在一套用以寻求神为得到祝福的公式上。反之，我们把信心放在爱我们的神身上，完全相信祂为我们制定了一个美好计划，并渴望与我们永远在一起。因此，当我们四面受难时，就很自然地去寻求神，为得到神的安慰、爱和肯定。
让我们选择赞美和尊崇神的信实，不管情况有多恶劣。让我们用信心的眼光定睛在神对未来的计划上！我们应该选择赞美和敬拜神，尽管环境或情况还没有改变。
我们对主不断的赞美和欢呼，将在我们的试炼和患难中支撑我们。如果魔鬼不能偷走我们的喜乐，那么我们可以继续依靠神的恩典，忍耐到底，直到我们看到突破！
讲章系列：当你不知所措的时候那能做什么？