Destroying the Shroud / 除去帕子

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Dexu Xia

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Jun 19, 2019, 2:15:02 AM6/19/19

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Destroying the Shroud

[God] will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples. Isaiah 25:7

A brutal car wreck devastated Mary Ann Franco. Though she survived, the injuries left her completely blind. “All I could see was blackness,” Franco explained. Twenty-one years later, she injured her back in a fall. After waking from surgery (which had nothing to do with her eyes), miraculously, her sight had returned! For the first time in more than two decades, Franco saw her daughter’s face. The neurosurgeon insisted there was no scientific explanation for her restored vision. The darkness that seemed so final gave way to beauty and light.

The Scriptures, as well as our experience, tell us that a shroud of ignorance and evil covers the world, blinding all of us to God’s love (Isaiah 25:7). Selfishness and greed, our self-sufficiency, our lust for power or image—all these compulsions obscure our vision, making us unable to clearly see the God who “in perfect faithfulness [has] done wonderful things” (v. 1).

One translation calls this blinding shroud a “cloud of gloom” (nlt). Left to ourselves, we experience only darkness, confusion, and despair. We often feel trapped—groping and stumbling, unable to see our way forward. Thankfully, Isaiah promises that God will ultimately “destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples” (v. 7).

God will not leave us hopeless. His radiant love removes whatever blinds us, surprising us with a beautiful vision of a good life and abundant grace.

Reflect & Pray

Where do you sense the darkness in your world? How do you imagine Jesus destroys that place?

God, the gloom is everywhere these days. It’s so difficult to see Your truth and love. Will You help me? I’m hopeless without You.

除去帕子

祂又必在这山上除灭遮盖万民之物和遮蔽万国蒙脸的帕子。-以赛亚书25章7节

玛丽·安·弗朗科因一场严重的车祸而双目失明，她说：“我的眼睛就像被黑幕遮盖了。”21年后，她因摔倒导致背部受伤，需接受手术治疗，而这场与眼睛完全无关的手术，却奇妙地使她恢复了视力！过了这么多年，她又可以看见女儿的容貌了。神经外科医生坚称，她的视力恢复没有任何科学理论可以解释。美好与光明取代了看似无法改变的黑暗。

圣经的话语和个人的经验都告诉我们，这世界被一层无知与邪恶的帕子遮盖了，以致人们看不见上帝的爱（以赛亚书25章7节）。自私贪婪、自大自满、渴求权力或外在形象，这些欲望都会阻碍我们的视线，使我们无法清楚看见这位“以忠信诚实行过奇妙的事”的上帝（1节）。

新普及译本将“帕子”译为“乌云”。的确，我们若靠自己只会经历乌云密布的日子，面对黑暗、困惑与绝望。我们时常感觉受困在黑暗中，踉踉跄跄，看不见前路。幸好以赛亚说，上帝应许要“除灭遮盖万民之物”（7节）。

上帝不会任由我们活在绝望中，祂的慈爱如明光照耀，将除去所有遮蔽我们视力的屏障，让我们能清楚看见美好的生命和丰盛的恩典，这美丽的景象必令我们惊叹不已！

上帝啊，世界被黑暗笼罩，
使我看不见祢的真理与慈爱。
恳求祢帮助我能时时仰望祢，重得盼望。