4 月 19 日 复活节前日

(刘智恩牧师 蒙恩堂)

经文-诗篇 71：1-14

1 耶和华啊，我投靠你，求你叫我永不羞愧。

2 求你凭你的公义搭救我，救拔我；侧耳听我，拯救我。

3 求你做我常住的磐石，你已经命定要救我，因为你是我的岩石，我的山寨。

4 我的神啊，求你救我脱离恶人的手，脱离不义和残暴之人的手。

5 主耶和华啊，你是我所盼望的，从我年幼你是我所倚靠的。

6 我从出母胎被你扶持，使我出母腹的是你，我必常常赞美你。

7 许多人以我为怪，但你是我坚固的避难所。

8 你的赞美，你的荣耀，终日必满了我的口。

9 我年老的时候，求你不要丢弃我；我力气衰弱的时候，求你不要离弃我。

10 我的仇敌议论我，那些窥探要害我命的彼此商议，

11 说：“神已经离弃他，我们追赶他，捉拿他吧！因为没有人搭救。”

12 神啊，求你不要远离我！我的神啊，求你速速帮助我！

13 愿那与我性命为敌的羞愧被灭，愿那谋害我的受辱蒙羞。

14 我却要常常盼望，并要越发赞美你。

经文反思

在《指环王》电影三部曲的第二部中，罗翰国被一万兽人大军围困。他们是一支面对洛汗的压倒性力量。为了准备这场无情的战斗，洛汗公民撤离了美丽的小镇，躲进了久经考验的舵深堡垒。要塞一侧是厚厚的石墙，另一侧是高高的山峰，从未被攻破过。洛汗人就是在那里进行自卫，并最终赢得了战斗。

当生活面临崩溃的威胁时，你的舵之深渊是什么？家产？能人？任何物质？所有这些东西，拥有固然好，但能发挥的作用有限，而且时间有限。

诗篇第 71 篇是一位老人写的，他回想了上帝在他最需要的时候拯救他的种种经历，并再次恳求上帝将他从目前的困境中解救出来。

诗人本能地首先求助于他所信赖的源泉--上帝。从他年轻的时候起，在他的一生中，这个源泉从未让他失望过。上帝从未让他失望过。因此，作者赞美上帝，感谢祂在过去所有的时间里拯救了 他，并再次向上帝提出他需要拯救，相信祂会再一次拯救他。

祷告

父神，我赞美你在过去两千年来对我和所有基督徒兄弟姐妹的信实。请赐给我属灵的本能，当我感到受到任何威胁时，我会转向你。愿我像诗篇的作者一样，在年老时回首往事，为我曾向你寻求安慰而欢欣鼓舞，并看到你确实在我身边。奉耶稣的名，阿门。

应用

当你发现自己陷入困境时： 身体上的（医疗诊断、生命危险）、情感上的（失去亲人、面对失 望）、精神上的（大脑化学失衡、焦虑）、灵性上的（灵性枯竭、与疑惑抗争），提前决定你将转向万古盘石寻求庇护。

在第一个圣周六，主的门徒们陷入了迷茫，他们刚刚在周五失去了他们的主，而主在周日还没有复活。他们恐惧、焦虑，无依无靠。我们再也不需要经历这样的情况了，因为复活的耶稣基督将永远与我们同在，成为我们随时可用的避难盘石--是的，我们的精神舵手。

19 April Holy Saturday

(Rev Ivan Low Kingsway Methodist Church)

Scripture - Psalm 71:1–14

1 In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame!

2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;

incline your ear to me, and save me!

3 Be to me a rock of refuge,

to which I may continually come;

you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.

5 For you, O Lord, are my hope,

my trust, O Lord, from my youth.

6 Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;

you are he who took me from my mother's womb.

My praise is continually of you.

7 I have been as a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge.

8 My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day.

9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent.

10 For my enemies speak concerning me;

those who watch for my life consult together

11 and say, “God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him,

for there is none to deliver him.”

12 O God, be not far from me;

O my God, make haste to help me!

13 May my accusers be put to shame and consumed; with scorn and disgrace may they be covered who seek my hurt.

14 But I will hope continually

and will praise you yet more and more.

Reflection on the Scripture

During the second book of the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, the country of Rohan was besieged by an army of 10,000 orc-like beasts. They were an overwhelming force facing Rohan. In preparation for this merciless battle, its citizens evacuated their beautiful town, to hide in their time-tested fortress of Helm's Deep. The fortress boasted thick, stone walls on one side, and a tall mountain on the other-it had never been breached. It was there that the people of Rohan defended themselves, and eventually won the battle.

What is your Helm's deep when life threatens to fall apart? The family fortune? A capable person? Substances of any kind? All these things, while good to have, are limited in how much they can do, and only for a limited time.

Psalm 71 was written by an old man, reflecting on all the times God has saved him when he needed Him most, and once again imploring God to deliver him from a present situation.

The Psalmist instinctively first turns to his trusted source - God. This source has not failed him since the days of his youth, and throughout all his life. Not once, did God ever let him down. And so the writer praises God, for all the times He has rescued him in the past, and once again presents his need for deliverance to God, believing for yet another round of deliverance from Him.

Prayer

Father God, I praise you for your past faithfulness to me, and all my Christian brothers and sisters for the past 2,000 years. Please give me the spiritual instinct to turn to You when I am feeling threatened in any way. Like the Psalmist, may I look back when I am old, and rejoice at all the times when I looked to you for comfort, and see that you were indeed there for me. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Application

When you find yourself in trouble: Physical (medical diagnosis, life threatening situation), emotional(losing a loved one, facing disappointments), mental (chemical imbalances in brain, anxiety), Spiritual (spiritual dryness, battling doubts), decide in advance that you will turn to the Rock of Ages for refuge.

On the first Holy Saturday, the Lord's disciples were left in limbo, they had just lost their Lord on Friday, and He had not yet resurrected on the Sunday. They were fearful, anxious, and had no one to turn to. We need never experience that anymore, because the resurrected Jesus Christ will forever be with us and be our ever-available Rock of Refuge - yes, our Spiritual Helm's Deep.