Is God There? 上帝同在吗？
Dexu Xia
I will wait for the Lord . . . . I will put my trust in him. Isaiah 8:17
Lela was dying of cancer, and her husband, Timothy, couldn’t understand why a loving God would let his wife suffer. She had served Him faithfully as a Bible teacher and mentor to many. “Why did You let this happen?” he cried. Yet Timothy continued to be faithful in his walk with God.
“So why do you still believe in God?” I asked him frankly. “What keeps you from turning away from Him?”
“Because of what has happened before,” Timothy replied. While he couldn’t “see” God now, he recalled the times when God had helped and protected him. These were signs that God was still there caring for his family. “I know the God I believe in will come through in His own way,” he said.
Timothy’s words echo Isaiah’s expression of trust in Isaiah 8:17. Even when he couldn’t feel God’s presence as his people braced for trouble from their enemies, he would “wait for the Lord.” He trusted in God because of the signs He’d given of His continuing presence (v. 18).
There are times when we might feel as if God isn’t with us in our troubles. That’s when we depend on what we can see of His works in our lives, in the past and present. They’re the visible reminder of an invisible God—a God who is always with us and will answer in His own time and way.
What signs can you see of God working in your life? How can they remind you that you can still look to Him for hope and comfort?
Father, thank You for always being there for me. Give me the strength to trust in You even when I don’t understand what’s going on.
上帝同在吗？
我要等候……耶和华，我也要仰望祂。—以赛亚书8章17节
丽娜因罹癌恐将不久于人世，她的丈夫振康不明白为何慈爱的上帝要让妻子受此痛苦。一直以来，丽娜忠心地服事上帝、担任圣经教师，更是许多人的心灵导师。振康哭着求问上帝：“为什么祢允许这样的事情发生？”但尽管如此，振康仍持守信心继续跟随上帝。
我很坦率地问他：“你为何还相信上帝？什么原因让你没有离开祂？”振康回答说：“这是因为我们过去所经历的一切。”虽然他此时无法“看见”上帝的作为，但他回想起过去，上帝总是帮助、保守他，印证上帝一直看顾他的家人。他强调：“我知道，我所信靠的上帝，必将按祂自己的方式让我们经历这一切。”
振康的回答体现出以赛亚书8章17节所描述的信心，当以色列人即将面对仇敌的攻击时，以赛亚虽无法感受到上帝的同在，他仍“等候”上帝。他相信上帝，因为上帝已赐下祂永远同在的征兆（18节）。
在困境中，我们有时可能感受不到上帝的同在，这时候我们可以回顾从过去到现在，上帝在我们生命里的作为。这能清楚地提醒我们，人凭肉眼看不见的这位上帝永远与我们同在，并会在祂所定的时间、按祂的方式来回应我们。
天父，感谢祢一直与我同在。求祢赐给我力量信靠祢，
即使不明白为何悲剧会发生，也全然仰望祢。
你从何处看出上帝在你生命中的作为？
这些经历如何提醒你，能仰望上帝得着盼望与安慰？