Hope in Faith 因信而有盼望

[Dexu Xia]

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24

Today's Scripture  Psalm 31:13-18

Today's Insights

As Jesus hung dying on the cross, He spoke the words of the Psalms. We’re familiar with those from Psalm 22:1: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (see Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). The words communicate deep pain and a kind of hopelessness in the face of utter despair. The circumstances of both David and His true heir, Jesus, led both to cry out in anguish.

But the words that Christ quotes just before surrendering to death carry a different note: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). Here, He quotes David again—but the words of Psalm 31 point to an unshakable confidence in the goodness of the Father despite suffering. When we face overwhelming pain and suffering, the words of this psalm lead us to hold on to the Father just as Jesus did. We share the same hope as the Son of God

Today's Devotional

Kristin’s son had died from cancer when he was just seven. Now, three years later, her older son was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Friends who were not believers in Jesus grieved with her, but they couldn’t understand why she continued to trust Christ. “How could your God allow this? Why keep believing in Him?” they asked.

For Kristin, however, it was an even stronger reason to keep believing. “I don’t understand why this is happening,” she said, “but I know God will help us through this. Only God can give me hope to keep going.”

Such a hope and trust kept King David going when he found himself in overwhelming circumstances. Surrounded by enemies seeking his destruction, he probably couldn’t understand why all this was happening to him. Yet he knew he was following a God he could trust to deliver and bless him in His time (Psalm 31:14-16). This certain hope enabled him to keep submitting to God and to say, “My times are in your hands” (v. 15). And it uplifted him, such that he could also say, “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord” (v. 24).

In times when we feel overwhelmed and there seems little to look forward to, we know we can hang on even more tightly to God and the life-giving hope He alone provides.

Reflect & Pray

What do you need to keep going through life’s challenges? How does God’s promise of hope give you joy and strength even in hardship?

Loving Father, You know my struggles and doubts. Please give me the faith to keep trusting in You and the strength to keep going.

By Leslie Koh

“凡仰望耶和华的人，你们都要壮胆，坚固你们的心！”（诗篇 31:24 ）

今日经文：诗篇 31章13-18 节

今日洞见： 耶稣被钉在十字架上即将断气时，他说出诗篇中我们都熟悉的22章1节的话：“我的神，我的神，你为什么离弃我？”（马太福音 27:46；马可福音 15:34）。这些话语表达了一种面对彻底绝望时深切的痛苦和无助感。大卫和他王位真正继承者耶稣都曾身处困境发出这样痛苦的呼喊。 但基督在临死前所说的话却带着不同的意味：“父啊，我将我的灵魂交在你手里”（路加福音 23:46）。在这里，他再次引用了大卫的话，但诗篇31篇的经文表明他对天父的良善仍然怀有坚定不移的信心，即使遭受苦难。当我们面对巨大的痛苦和磨难时，这篇诗篇的经文引导我们像耶稣那样，紧紧依靠天父，因为我们与上帝的儿子拥有同样的盼望。

 今日灵修   克里斯汀的一个儿子七岁时死于癌症。三年后，她的大儿子又被诊断出患有绝症。一些不信耶稣的朋友与她一同悲伤，但他们不明白为什么她仍然信靠基督。“你的神怎么会允许这种事情发生？你为什么还要继续相信他？”他们问道。然而，对克里斯汀来说，这件事反而使她得信心更加坚定。“我不明白为什么会发生这种事，”她说，“但我知道神会帮助我们度过难关。只有神才能给我继续前行的希望。” 

正是这种希望和信靠支撑着大卫王度过艰难的岁月。他被敌人包围，敌人想要置他于死地，他可能不明白为什么这一切会发生在他身上。但他知道他所信靠的神会在适当的时候拯救他、赐福他（诗篇 31:14-16）。这种确定的希望使他能够继续顺服神，并说：“我的时日都在你手中”（15节）。这使他振奋起来，以至于他也能说：“凡仰望耶和华的人，你们都要刚强壮胆！”（24节）。 

在感到不知所措、前途渺茫的时候，我们知道可以更加紧紧地依靠上帝，依靠只有祂能给予的，富有生命力的盼望。

反思与祷告 什么才能帮助你克服生活中的挑战？上帝的应许和希望如何带给你喜乐和力量，即使在困境中？ 慈爱的天父，您知道我的挣扎和疑虑。求您赐我信心，让我继续信靠您，并赐给我力量，使我能继续前行。作者：莱斯丽 科