568 中翻英 (268) Nothing is impossible for God. 在上帝沒有難成的事. 11/1/2023

 568 中翻英 (268)        Nothing is impossible for God.       在上帝沒有難成的事.           11/1/2023

十一月一日

「撒拉說，神使我喜笑，凡听見的必与我一同喜笑。」（創   21:6 新國際版）

神在不可能的事中顯示了祂那完全的主權，以致撒拉要在滿怀感激的惊奇中喜笑了。在早一點時期（創   17:17），笑的是亞伯拉罕。但他的笑是不相信的笑——不是向神而發，因他乃是臉伏于地向神拜禮的人（創   17:3）。他沒有對神不敬，他只是笑自己的老邁衰弱，心中有一种絕對沒有生育可能的感覺。

亞伯拉罕已往的信心到哪里去了呢？他以前的信心确是真實的，但也許混雜著某些經驗中的現實主義，因而有一點合理的自恃和自信。那時期的信心，可以說是「神加上亞伯拉罕」的信心。最后，當亞伯拉罕九十九歲的時候，他知道自己的力量已到了盡頭，現在只剩下神是可以信靠的了。但就在這轉變的階段中，信心吸取了新的品格。因為順利的光景并不能幫助信心，反而時常攔阻信心的增長。這似乎環境越容易，信心就越困難，環境越困難，信心卻變得越容易。當環境處于完全不可能的情況中時，信心失去其它憑借，只能不顧一切，專一的抓牢著神，由于這樣，最后就會帶進撒拉那种惊奇中的喜笑。

November 1st

“Sarah said,  "God has prepared laughter for me, every one that hears will laugh with me.” (Genesis  21:6 NIV)

God had displayed complete mastery of the impossible, and Sarah's was the laugh of grateful amazement.  Earlier it had been Abraham who laughed (Genesis 17:17).  But his was the laugh of incredulity — not, be it said, directed at God, before whom he was fallen low in obeisance, but surely at himself (Genesis 17:3).  There was no disrespect, just a sense of the utter impossibility of it all.

Where was his faith of past years? True faith it had been but mingled perhaps a certain practical "realism," a touch of justifiable self-relance.  It was faith, so to say, in “God plus Abraham.”  Now at length He knew that the  "Abraham" was ninety-nine years old, his power had come to an end.  Only God was left to believe in.  But just here that belief took on its new character; for favorable situations do not help faith, they more often hinder it.  It seems that when conditions are easy, faith is difficult; when they are more difficult; faith becomes easier; and when once the environment are in downright impossible, the faith of stark desperation, having God slone to cling to, at last, it will eventually bring about Sarah’s laughter of aazement.