The Worst Thing and the Best Thing You Can Do For a Friend In Pain

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 2:1-13.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-8:  In chapter 1, Job passed his first test with flying colours.  Now a second test is coming.  God continues to boast of Job’s steadfast faith in Him, while Satan believes that if Job’s own health is taken away, Job will turn away from God and curse Him.  So, with the Lord’s permission, Satan afflicts Job with painful sores from head to toe all over his body.  The closest thing Job experiences to relief is scraping himself with a piece of broken pottery (v8).

What can we learn from this?  God has a good purpose in allowing sickness.  Once Jesus and his disciples met a blind man.  The disciples asked Jesus, “Who sinned – this blind man or his parents – to cause him to be blind?”  Jesus said, “Neither, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life” (John 9:3).  Then Jesus would go on to heal the man’s blindness in a most interesting and gradual way.  Though sickness is not God’s original plan for us, I believe God allows sickness and disease ultimately so that we would learn to trust Him and so that in His time He can display His redeeming, healing, resurrecting work in our lives.

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诗篇一百十九篇145-152节

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ק Qoph（第19段）

145耶和华啊，我一心呼吁祢，求祢应允我，我必谨守祢的律例。
146我向祢呼吁，求祢救我，我要遵守祢的法度。
147我趁天未亮呼求，我仰望了祢的言语。
148我趁夜更未换，将眼睁开，为要思想祢的话语。
149求祢照祢的慈爱听我的声音，耶和华啊，求祢照祢的典章将我救活。
150追求奸恶的人临近了，他们远离祢的律法。
151耶和华啊，祢与我相近，祢一切的命令尽都真实。
152我因学祢的法度，久已知道是祢永远立定的。

在2020年的年初三，我们来看看可以从神的话语里得到怎样的提醒。这段经文若用英文来看，我们很快就会有感受了，我来列出几句经文的前一小节：

I call out at the top of my lungs,我一心呼吁祢
I called to you, “Save me 我向祢呼吁，求祢救我
I was up before sunrise, 我趁天未亮呼求
I stayed awake all night, 我趁夜更未换，将眼睁开

这些经文让我们看到大卫和神的关系，还有大卫的行动(action)。你平常会向谁呼求？你半夜时会想起谁呢？在新年之际，我们看到有很多人天未亮就去庙前排队，为了想取得头香，拿到发财签；甚至也有人当黄牛去排队，这些人为的都是钱，除了钱之外，还有什么可以让你心动到天未亮就起来？夜更未换就将眼睁开？

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诗篇一百十九篇137-144节

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ץ Tsadde（第18段）

137耶和华啊，祢是公义的，祢的判语也是正直的。
138祢所命定的法度是凭公义和至诚。
139我心焦急，如同火烧，因我敌人忘记祢的言语。
140祢的话极其精炼，所以祢的仆人喜爱。
141我微小被人藐视，却不忘记祢的训词。
142祢的公义永远长存，祢的律法尽都真实。
143我遭遇患难愁苦，祢的命令却是我所喜爱的。
144祢的法度永远是公义的，求祢赐我悟性，我就活了。

新年2020的第二天，我们还是希望新酒装在新皮袋里，能有一个崭新的人生。有人说：如果连你自己都不喜欢你自己，你就不会对你自己很好，因为我们通常不会对不喜欢的人太好。所以你不喜欢你自己，你就不会做对自己有帮助的事情，你同意吗？

那怎样才能喜欢自己，对自己好，做对自己有帮助的事呢？

作者大卫在这段经文里讲到他微小被人藐视，大卫的身才材确实不是又高又有型的。在博物馆里，大卫王年轻时的雕像都是比较矮小的。现在的男孩子若长得矮小一点，上学有时会被欺负，被覇凌。大卫说到，他也是因为微小，所以被人渺视。

你有没有被人渺视的经历呢？大卫被人渺视，遭遇患难愁苦，但是他懂得抓紧神的话，紧紧地倚靠神。

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In Your Pain, Surrender to God

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 1:13-22.  Let’s go!

On verses 13-22:  In one day, four messengers come to Job, one after another, each delivering horrifying news: Sabeans attack and carry off Job’s donkeys and oxen (v13-15), fire from God (possibly lightning) falls and destroys his sheep (v16), Chaldeans attack and steal Job’s camels (v17), and by far most tragically of all, a hurricane-like wind causes the house in which Job’s children are partying to collapse, killing all of Job’s children (v18-19).  Notice that in two cases, the loss came as a result of attacks by people.  In the other two cases, the loss came as a result of “an act of God”.

In response, Job tears his robe and shaves his head in mourning.  Rather than cursing God or accusing God with wrongdoing (v22), Job falls to the ground in worship and speaks some of the most famous words in the book of Job:

Job 1:21 (NIV) 
21  …”Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.”
 

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