「十天的更新恢復」
恰克˙皮爾斯
中文翻譯：微牧之歌2015-01-10

恢復第九天：我們的力量與喜樂

 “求你使我仍得救恩之樂，賜我樂意的靈扶持我。”（詩篇51:12）。

沒有喜樂，我們就沒有力量。沒有力量，我們就無力對抗攻擊。這就是力量這個詞的真意。

當完成一個項目或結束我們生命中一個季節的時間來臨時，我們必須有力量向前推進到結束。尼希米記8章9-11節說道，“省長尼希米，和作祭司的文士以斯拉，並教訓百姓的利未人，對眾民說：今日是耶和華你們神的聖日，不要悲哀哭泣，這是因為眾民聽見律法書上的話都哭了。又對他們說：你們去吃肥美的，喝甘甜的，有不能預備的，就分給他，因為今日是我們主的聖日，你們不要憂慮，因靠耶和華而得的喜樂是你們的力量。於是利未人使眾民靜默，說：今日是聖日，不要作聲，也不要憂愁。”聖殿建成的時候到了，神的子民省察到導致他們被擄的罪。但是，尼希米說， “這是宴樂的時間。喜樂和新的力量會來臨！把過去拋在身後吧！取得新的力量前行。”

要生產，我們必須擁有力量。列王記下19章3節說，“今日是急難責罰淩辱的日子，就如婦人將要生產嬰孩，卻沒有力量生產。”當時間到時，我們必須要有力量產出我們的下一個季節。而要有力量，我們就必須要有喜樂！

我們的仇敵盼望剝奪我們的喜樂，把我們拋出救恩的過程。這並不是說牠可以透過剝奪我們的喜樂來竊取我們的救恩，而是說牠能把我們從寬恕、醫治、繁榮和恢復——這些救恩的副產品上轉離。牠的策略很多情況和牠用在大衛王身上的一樣：牠令我們犯罪。再沒有像罪這樣能這麼有效地剝奪我們來自上帝的喜樂。

但正是在那些日子裡，上帝渴望要透過更深層次的悔改來恢復祂子民的喜樂。透過修復那些罪所造成的破口，上帝可以恢復我們的喜樂。箴言17:22說道，“喜樂的心是良藥。”喜樂像良藥，可以醫治百骨。這就是為什麼，經上說，主的喜樂是我力量（見尼希米書8章10節）；這喜樂帶來醫治的能力，足以讓我們維持上帝所賜的健康。

即便大衛犯了罪，失去了喜樂，我們從詩篇51篇仍可看到，他可以請求上帝恢復他的喜樂。透過耶穌的寶血，我們得到遠比大衛更蒙恩寵的地位，足以懇求上帝赦免我們的罪，恢復救恩的喜樂。


Restoration Day 9: Our Strength and Joy

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit” (Ps. 51:12). Without JOY, we have no strength. Without strength, there is no ability to withstand our next attack. This is the meaning of the word strength.

When time comes to complete a project or a season of our life, we must have strength to push forth to the end. Nehemiah 8:9-11 says, “And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ‘This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep.’ For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our LORD. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.’ So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, ‘Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.’” (NKJV) The time had come to complete the Temple. The people of God had realized their sin that had led them to captivity. However, Nehemiah said, “This is Feast time. Rejoice and new strength will come! Let the past be behind you! Gain new strength to move forward.”

To birth, we must have strength. 2 Kings 19:3 says, “This day is a day of trouble, and rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth.” (NKJV) When the time comes, must have strength to bring forth our next season. To have STRENGTH, we must have JOY!

Our enemy longs to rob us of our joy and get us out of the salvation process. That does not mean that he can steal our salvation by robbing our joy, but he can steer us away from the forgiveness, healing, prosperity and restoration that are by-products of our salvation. His strategy many times is the same one he used on King David: he causes us to sin. Nothing will rob us of the joy of the Lord as effectively as sin in our lives.

But these are days in which God is longing to restore joy to His people through deeper levels of repentance. In repairing the breaches that sin has caused, God is able to restore joy. Proverbs 17:22 says, “A merry heart does good, like medicine.” Joy works like a medicine and brings healing to our bones. That is why Scripture says that the joy of the Lord is our strength (see Neh. 8:10); it brings with it the power to heal and maintain the health God has for us.

Even though David sinned and lost his joy, we see from Psalm 51 that he was able to ask the Lord to restore that joy to him. Through the blood of Christ, we are positioned with even greater favor than King David had to ask the Lord to forgive our transgressions and restore the joy of our salvation.