Being Consumed / 受尽煎熬
Dexu Xia
Being Consumed
When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. Psalm 32:3
In his book The Call, Os Guinness describes a moment when Winston Churchill, on holiday with friends in the south of France, sat by the fireplace to warm himself on a cold night. Gazing at the fire, the former prime minister saw pine logs “crackling, hissing, and spitting as they burned. Suddenly, his familiar voice growled, ‘I know why logs spit. I know what it is to be consumed.’”
Difficulties, despair, dangers, distress, and the results of our own wrongdoings can all feel consuming. Circumstances slowly drain our hearts of joy and peace. When David experienced the consuming consequences of his own sinful choices, he wrote, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. . . . My strength was sapped as in the heat of summer” (Psalm 32:3–4).
In such difficult times, where do we turn for help? For hope? Paul, whose experiences were filled with ministry burdens and brokenness, wrote, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8–9).
How does that work? As we rest in Jesus, the Good Shepherd restores our souls (Psalm 23:3) and strengthens us for the next step of our journey. He promises to walk that journey with us every step of the way (Hebrews 13:5).
受尽煎熬
我闭口不认罪的时候，因终日唉哼而骨头枯干。-诗篇32篇3节
葛尼斯在他所写的《一生的圣召》中提到，英国前首相邱吉尔和几位朋友在法国南部度假，他们在一个寒冷的夜晚坐在壁炉边取暖，邱吉尔凝视着松木被火燃烧，发出劈啪的爆裂声。突然，他以一贯的咆哮声调说：“我知道松木为什么会发出爆裂声了，因它正被火燃烧、受尽煎熬，我也曾有这种经历。”
的确，苦难、绝望、危险、忧虑和面对做错事的后果时，都让我们如置身于火窑般痛苦。这些外在的环境逐渐将我们心中的喜乐和平安燃烧耗尽。正如大卫因犯罪的后果而受尽煎熬，像被火焚烧，他写道：“我闭口不认罪的时候，就整天唉哼，以致骨头衰残。⋯⋯我的精力耗尽，好像盛暑的干旱。”（诗篇32篇3-4节，新译本）
在这种艰难的时刻，我们可从何处寻求帮助和盼望呢？保罗在宣教的旅程中，经常面对逼迫患难，但他却写道：“我们四面受敌，却不被困住；心里作难，却不至失望；遭逼迫，却不被丢弃；打倒了，却不至死亡。”（哥林多后书4章8-9节）
要怎样才能像保罗一样呢？只要常在耶稣里，这位好牧人便能使我们的心灵苏醒（诗篇23篇3节），得着能力继续奔走天路。上帝已应许，祂会伴随我们一路同行，永不离弃我们（希伯来书13章5节）。
天父，求祢赐我力量，能承受今日所面对的患难，
并让我在基督里，得着祢所应许的永恒盼望。
你如何面对内心的焦急烦躁呢？
在苦难中，上帝如何帮助你呢？