our daily bread
Dexu Xia
Better Than Ever
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:12
The story is told of a group of salmon fishermen who gathered in a Scottish inn after a long day of fishing. As one was describing a catch to his friends, his arm swept across the table and knocked a glass against the wall, shattering it and leaving a stain on the white plaster surface. The man apologized to the innkeeper and offered to pay for the damage, but there was nothing he could do; the wall was ruined. A man seated nearby said, “Don’t worry.” Rising, he took a painting implement from his pocket and began to sketch around the ugly stain. Slowly there emerged the head of a magnificent stag. The man was Sir E. H. Landseer, Scotland’s foremost animal artist.
David, Israel’s illustrious king who penned Psalm 51, brought shame on himself and his nation by his sins. He committed adultery with the wife of one of his friends and engineered the death of that friend—both deeds worthy of death. It would seem his life was ruined. But he pled with God: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me” (v. 12).
Like David we have shameful acts in our past and the memories that accompany them, recollections that taunt us in the middle of the night. There’s so much we wish we could undo or redo.
There is a grace that not only forgives sin but also uses it to make us better than before. God wastes nothing.
Lord, I’ve failed You again. Please forgive me again. Change me. Turn me around. Teach me to follow Your ways.
God has both an all-seeing eye and all-forgiving heart.
变得更好
求祢使我仍得救恩之乐，赐我乐意的灵扶持我。-诗篇51篇12节
有一群渔夫在辛苦忙碌了一天之后，聚在苏格兰的一家酒馆聊天。其中一人兴奋地描述捕鱼的情景，他手臂一挥，结果将餐桌上的玻璃杯扫到墙上，杯子应声破碎，在白色的墙面留下污渍。那人向酒馆老板致歉，表示愿意赔偿损失，但这已无济于事，白色的墙面已经毁损。这时，有位坐在邻桌的先生说：“别担心！”他起身从口袋里拿出画图的器具，并以丑陋的污渍构图作画，接着一帧雄伟的鹿头壁画逐渐成形。这位化腐朽为神奇的人，就是苏格兰的动物艺术家埃德温．兰希尔爵士（Sir E. H. Landseer）。
诗篇51篇的作者是以色列的国王大卫，他也曾犯下使自己与国家蒙羞的罪行。他与一位朋友的妻子有了婚外情，并设局谋杀这个朋友，这两件事都足以构成他的死罪。他的人生几乎毁于一旦，但他乞求上帝：“求祢使我仍得救恩之乐，赐我乐意的灵扶持我。”（12节）
像大卫一样，我们以前所做的羞愧之事，常在午夜梦回时毫不留情地嘲弄我们。我们多么希望从未做过这些错事，或希望能重新来过。幸好，我们的上帝能化腐朽为神奇。
上帝的恩典不但能使我们的罪得赦免，甚至还能藉此让我们变得比先前更好。上帝会使万事互相效力。
主啊，我又让祢失望了，求祢再次饶恕我、改变我，
让我能回转，帮助我遵行祢的教导。