Safe Hands 安稳的双手
Dexu Xia
You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble. Psalm 32:7
Like the unraveling of a rope, the threads of Doug Merkey’s life were breaking one by one. “My mother had lost her prolonged battle with cancer; a long-term romantic relationship was failing; my finances were depleted; my vocation was foggy. . . . The emotional and spiritual darkness around me and within me was deep and debilitating and seemingly impenetrable,” the pastor and sculptor wrote. These collective events, combined with living in a cramped attic, became the setting from which his sculpture The Hiding Place emerged. It depicts Christ’s strong, nailed-scarred hands openly cupped together as a place of safety.
Doug explained the design of his artwork this way: The “sculpture is Christ’s invitation to hide in Him.” In Psalm 32, David wrote as one who had found the ultimate safe place—God Himself. He offers us forgiveness from our sin (vv. 1–5) and encourages us to offer prayer in the midst of tumult (v. 6). In verse 7, the psalmist declares his trust in God: “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”
When trouble shows up, where do you turn? How good it is to know that when the fragile cords of our earthly existence begin to unravel, we can run to the God who has provided eternal safety through the forgiving work of Jesus.
What has it meant or what will it mean for you to find shelter, safety, and forgiveness in Jesus? How does He provide what you need for your cares, fears, and burdens?
Father, You know the times I’ve sought to piece my life together without You. Help me to forsake my misguided plans for safety and to run swiftly to You.
祢是我藏身之处，祢必保佑我脱离苦难。—诗篇32篇7节
道格 · 麦奇（Doug Merkey）生命中重要的事物都出现问题。这位身兼雕塑家的牧师说：“我母亲长期抗癌最终不敌病魔；我多年的恋情告吹；经济状况日渐窘迫；事业前景未明……。我的情绪与心灵被阴影笼罩，四周也仿佛一片黑暗，使人身心俱疲，仿佛无穷无尽。”这一连串的变故，加上住在窄小的阁楼里，成为他的雕塑作品《藏身之处》（The Hiding Place）的创作背景。这件作品刻画出基督刚强、带着钉痕的双掌稍微合拢，使掌心成为一个安稳之处。
道格如此解释他的作品：“这件雕塑是基督邀请我们藏身在祂手中。”在诗篇32篇，大卫描绘自己寻得那真正的藏身之处，也就是上帝自己。上帝赦免我们的罪孽（1-5节），鼓励我们在纷乱之中向祂祷告（6节）。在第7节，大卫表明自己全然信靠上帝，正如他说：“祢是我藏身之处，祢必保佑我脱离苦难，以得救的乐歌四面环绕我。”
在面对困境时，你会向谁求助？当我们在世上的生活分崩离析时，我们能奔向上帝，祂已藉着耶稣赐下赦罪之恩，为你我提供永恒的安稳之处。
在耶稣里得着庇护、安稳和赦免，
对你的过去、现在和未来有何意义？
在你忧虑、惧怕和负担沉重的事上，
祂如何供应你所需要的一切？
天父，有时我会想靠自己，
将分崩离析的生活拼凑起来。
求祢帮助我不再误以为能凭己力自保，而是奔向祢！