Imaginative Faith 想象丰富的信心
Dexu Xia
The mountains and hills will burst into song before you. Isaiah 55:12
“Look, Papa! Those trees are waving at God!” As we watched young birches bending in the wind before an oncoming storm, my grandson’s excited observation made me smile. It also made me ask myself, Do I have that kind of imaginative faith?
Reflecting on the story of Moses and the burning bush, the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote that “Earth’s crammed with heaven, / And every common bush afire with God; / But only he who sees, takes off his shoes.” God’s handiwork is evident all around us in the wonders of what He has made, and one day, when the earth is made new, we’ll see it like never before.
God tells us about this day when He proclaims through the prophet Isaiah, “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands” (Isaiah 55:12). Singing mountains? Clapping trees? Why not? Paul noted that “the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).
Jesus once spoke of stones crying out (Luke 19:40), and His words echo Isaiah’s prophecy about what lies ahead for those who come to Him for salvation. When we look to Him with faith that imagines what only God can do, we’ll see His wonders continue forever!
What do you imagine the new earth will be like in God’s forever kingdom? How will you serve Him with imagination today?
Loving God, I praise You that no one is more creative than You are! I look forward to seeing the wonder of all that You are and all that You can do!
大山小山必在你们面前发声歌唱。—以赛亚书55章12节
在暴风雨来临前，我和孙子看到几棵幼小的白桦树在狂风中摇摆。孙子大喊：“爷爷，你看，这些树正在向上帝挥手！”孙子逗趣的描绘令我莞尔一笑，我不禁问自己，我的信心也有如此丰富的想像力吗？
在思想摩西看见荆棘焚而不毁的经历时，英国诗人白朗宁写道：“世上处处有天堂，荆棘丛皆被上帝的火焰点燃，但只有看得见的人才会脱下鞋来。”上帝的创造巧工就在你我周遭，我们随处可发觉其中无比的奇妙。当世界被更新再造的那一天，你我将看见前所未见的景象。
关于那一天的景象，上帝透过先知以赛亚宣告：“你们必欢欢喜喜而出来，平平安安蒙引导；大山小山必在你们面前发声歌唱，田野的树木也都拍掌”（以赛亚书55章12节）。群山会歌唱？树木会拍掌？为什么不会呢？保罗说：“受造之物仍然指望脱离败坏的辖制，得享上帝儿女自由的荣耀。”（罗马书8章21节）
耶稣曾提到“石头必要呼叫起来”（路加福音19章40节）。这也呼应以赛亚的预言，说明那些归向上帝而得救的人将会看到的景象。当我们以信心仰望上帝，凭信心想像唯有祂能成就的一切，必能看见祂永不断绝的奇妙作为！
你能想像在永恒的国度里，新天新地是什么样子吗？你今天要如何
带着丰富的想像力来服事祂？
慈爱的上帝，我要称颂祢那无比的创意！
我渴盼看见祢一切奇妙的大能，以及祢所做的每一件奇事！