God’s Rescue 上帝的拯救
Dexu Xia
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:2
A compassionate volunteer was called a “guardian angel” for his heroic efforts. Jake Manna was installing solar panels at a job site when he joined an urgent search to find a missing five-year-old girl. While neighbors searched their garages and yards, Manna took a path that led him into a nearby wooded area where he spotted the girl waist-deep in a marsh. He waded carefully into the sticky mud to pull her out of her predicament and return her, damp but unharmed, to her grateful mother.
Like that little girl, David also experienced deliverance. The singer “waited patiently” for God to respond to his heartfelt cries for mercy (Psalm 40:1). And He did. God leaned in, paid close attention to his cry for help and responded by rescuing him from the “mud and mire” of his circumstances (v. 2)—providing sure footing for David’s life. The past rescues from the muddy marsh of life reinforced his desire to sing songs of praise, to make God his trust in future circumstances and to share his story with others (vv. 3–4).
When we find ourselves in life challenges such as financial difficulties, marital turmoil, and feelings of inadequacy, let’s cry out to God and patiently wait for Him to respond (v. 1). He’s there, ready to help us in our time of need and give us a firm place to stand.
By: Marvin Williams
When has God delivered you from the “muddy marsh”? How do His past rescues encourage you to trust in Him?
When I’m stuck in the mud, I’ll wait patiently for You, my loving God
祂从祸坑里、从淤泥中把我拉上来，使我的脚立在磐石上，使我脚步稳当。—诗篇40篇2节
富有同情心的杰克·曼拿（Jake Manna）因他英勇的行为而被称为“守护天使”。他原本在一个工地安装太阳能板，看到居民正寻找失踪的5岁女孩，便义不容辞地加入了紧急搜寻行动。当众人穿梭在车库与庭院间寻找时，杰克循着一条步道进入附近的树林里，发现了半身陷在沼泽中的小女孩。他小心翼翼地踏进黏稠的泥泞地，将小女孩拉出险境，然后送回给她那充满感激的母亲，小女孩虽然湿透了，但毫发无伤。
正如那个小女孩一样，大卫也有获救的经历。他恳切呼求上帝的怜悯，并“耐性等候”上帝的回应（诗篇40篇1节）。上帝真的回应了。上帝倾听大卫的呼求，并“从祸坑里、从淤泥中”把他拯救出来（2节），让他一生的脚步更加稳妥。大卫过去从生命的泥沼中获得拯救的经历，使他渴望吟唱赞美的诗歌，他要在未来的景况中倚靠上帝，并跟其他人分享自己的经历（3-4节）。
当我们的生活陷入困境，如遭逢财务困难、婚姻危机，或觉得自己一无是处的时候，让我们呼求上帝，并耐心等候祂的回应（1节）。上帝就在那里，在我们有需要时，祂就是你我随时的帮助，祂能使我们脚步稳当。
作者： 魏马文
上帝何时曾拯救你脱离生命的泥沼？
你过去蒙上帝拯救的经历，
如何鼓励你更信靠祂？
慈爱的上帝，当我陷入泥沼时，
求祢拯救我，我会耐心等候。