跟隨萬王之王13　

這是我們第三週談到要跟隨主需要耐心和等候主，如果您在這方面沒有耐心，或許這文章是特別給您的！我只是說說…。

在耐心中成長和學習「等候主」，是領受祂應許來行在信心中所需要的，沒耐心有沒有可能是我們無法領受或行在許多我們期待之事的原因？我們所能做最重要的事之一，就是讓我們在忍耐/耐心中成長。如果您懼怕這樣的訓練，現在這可能是對您最重要的事。正如詩篇卅七篇7-9節所陳述的：

你當默然倚靠耶和華，耐性等候祂；不要因那道路通達的和那惡謀成就的心懷不平。 
當止住怒氣，離棄忿怒；不要心懷不平，以致作惡。 
因為作惡的必被剪除；惟有等候耶和華的必承受地土。 

我們活在到處都是惡人通達、惡謀成就的時候，但這不會繼續下去。當神的子民學習等候祂，學習承受祂應許所需的耐心，他們必承受地土。這亦是我們承受祂賜予我們掌管地上一小部分的關鍵。

起來爭戰有時，在聖經中除了兩場戰役外，人們都必須為神所應許的拯救而戰。在聖經中所有的偉大戰役中，只有二場戰役被告知什麼都不要做，只要觀看神的作為。因此，聖經的見證和我們的不作為應當是，我們將為神呼召我們去打的戰而戰，但當主告訴我們「這個由我來時」，我們也要敞開心。要知道兩者之間的不同，我們絕對需要求問主，耐心等候祂的指示。

大衛成為偉大君王是因為他也是偉大戰士，他之所以能成為偉大戰士，是因為他在每個戰役前等候主的指引。

今日，似乎邪惡幾乎在每個戰役中得勝。英勇的基督徒持續動員和爭戰，勝利是如此零星又短暫。作為領導才能和軍事策略的學生，似乎在所有戰役中，我們都讓敵人選擇戰場，按照他們的條件爭戰，然後納悶為何進展的不順利？

我們需要像大衛王那樣的領袖，即使在最危急的情況下，在採取行動前先花時間來「求問主」。最常用來形容大衛的詞句是他「求問主」；相較之下，掃羅王遭遇最大的敗戰，是因為他性急吩咐下去而沒有先尋求主的旨意。

我們可以起來，嘗試動員，在戰場上對抗邪惡，若主指示我們，會有這麼做的時候。然而，往往在我們用盡自己的聰明和力量，而我們得釋放似乎不可能後，主才會介入。學習等候主，好使我們在可能被打敗前就以祂的智慧和力量行事，效果會好得多。

耶穌來向我們展示如何生活，祂在地上的時候只做天父所做的事。這不正是跟隨祂的時候嗎？

 (摘自喬納word for the week, Week 43, 2021)


Follow the King, Part 13

This is the third week we will address the need for patience and waiting on the Lord to follow the King. If you’re getting impatient with this, perhaps this is especially for you! I’m just sayin’…

         Growing in patience and learning to “wait upon the Lord” are necessary to walk in the faith that receives His promises. Could impatience be the reason we are not receiving or walking in many things we are expecting? Giving ourselves to growing in patience is one of the most important things we can do. If you dread this discipline, this could be the most important thing for you right now. As Psalm 37:7-9 states: 

       Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. Do not worry because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.

       Cease from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not worry—it only results in evil. 

       For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait on the Lord will inherit the earth. 

           We live in a time when it seems the wicked are prospering and wicked schemes are prevailing everywhere, but this will not continue. When God’s people learn to wait on Him, and the patience required to inherit His promises, they will inherit the earth. This is also the key to us inheriting that little part of earth He has given us to have dominion over. 

           There is a time to rise up and fight. In all but two battles in Scripture the people were required to fight for the deliverance God had promised. Of all the great battles in Scripture only twice were the people told to do nothing but watch the Lord. So, the biblical testimony and our default should be that we will fight for what He has called us to do, but we will also be open to Him telling us, “I got this one.” To know the difference, we will almost certainly need to seek the Lord and wait patiently for His instructions.

         David became a great king because he was also a great warrior. And what made him a great warrior was how he waited on the Lord for guidance before every battle.          

         Today it seems evil is prevailing in nearly every battle. Courageous Christians continue to mobilize and fight but the victories have been few and short-lived. As a student of leadership and military strategy, it seems in nearly every case we are allowing the enemy to choose the battlefield and are fighting on his terms, and we wonder why it is not going well?

         We need leaders like King David who, even in the most desperate circumstances, take time to “inquire of the Lord” before taking action. The phrase most often used in relation to David is he “inquired of the Lord.” In contrast, King Saul suffered his worst defeats because he impetuously charged without first seeking the Lord’s will.  

   We can rise and try to mobilize and fight the wicked on their battlefields, and there is a time for doing this if the Lord directs us. However, His interventions usually come after we have expended our wisdom and strength, and our deliverance seems impossible. Learning to wait on the Lord so we act in His wisdom and strength before we have a chance to be defeated works much better. 

         Jesus came to show us how to live. He lived only doing what He saw the Father do. Isn’t it time to follow Him?