Where to Turn 向谁求助
Dexu Xia
The Lord longs to be gracious to you. Isaiah 30:18
Everyone in high school admired Jack’s easygoing attitude and athletic skill. He was happiest in midair above a half-pipe ramp—one hand holding his skateboard, the other stretched out for balance.
Jack decided to follow Jesus after he started attending a local church. Up to that point, he’d endured significant family struggles and had used drugs to medicate his pain. For a while after his conversion, things seemed to be going well for him. But years later he started using drugs again. Without the proper intervention and ongoing treatment, he eventually died of an overdose.
It’s easy to turn back to what’s familiar when we face difficulty. When the Israelites felt the distress of an upcoming Assyrian attack, they crawled back to the Egyptians—their former slave masters—for help (Isaiah 30:1–5). God predicted that this would be disastrous, but He continued to care for them although they made the wrong choice. Isaiah voiced God’s heart: “The Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion” (v. 18).
This is God’s attitude toward us, even when we choose to look elsewhere to numb our pain. He wants to help us. He doesn’t want us to hurt ourselves with habits that create bondage. Certain substances and actions tempt us with a quick sense of relief, but God wants to provide authentic healing as we walk closely with Him.
Why is it important to recognize God’s grace in times of failure? How can you better mirror His faithfulness in your relationship with Him?
Dear God, please set me free from sinful patterns. Help me to turn to You when I'm tempted to find relief in something else.
耶和华必然等候，要施恩给你们。—以赛亚书30章18节
杰克在中学的时候，同学们都很欣赏他随和的态度以及运动技能。他最开心的事，就是在半管式滑道上腾空跃起，一手拿着滑板，并且伸出另一只手保持平衡。
后来杰克开始参加教会，并决定跟随耶稣。在那之前，他一直面对严重的家庭问题，因而使用毒品试图麻痺自己的痛苦。在他信主后的一段时间里，情况似乎有些好转。但几年后，他又开始吸毒。因缺乏他人的关心和持续治疗，最后他因吸毒过量而死。
当我们面对困难时，很容易回头寻找熟悉的事物。当以色列人因亚述即将发动攻击而苦恼时，他们回头去向曾经奴役他们的埃及人寻求帮助（以赛亚书30章1-5节）。上帝早已知道这决定会带来严重的后果，但即使以色列人做了错误的选择，上帝仍旧怜恤他们。先知以赛亚传达了上帝的心意：“耶和华必然等候，要施恩给你们；必然兴起，好怜悯你们。”（18节）
上帝对我们也是如此，即使我们选择用别的事物来麻痺自己的痛苦，祂仍乐意帮助我们，祂不希望我们用那些会让人越陷越深的恶习来伤害自己。某些物品和行为会诱使我们快速地获取解脱的感觉，但上帝要给我们的是真正的医治，只要我们紧紧地跟随祂。
在面对挫败时，为何认识上帝的恩典至关重要？
你要如何倚靠上帝，让人清楚看到祂的信实？
亲爱的上帝，求祢让我脱离罪恶的恶性循环。
当我想要从其他事物寻求慰藉时，请帮助我转向祢！