五月廿三日

耶和華必成全關乎我的事。（詩138：8）

詩人所表現得很清楚的乃是信神，而非自信。他並不是說：“我的德行必成全關乎我的事，我的信心很堅固必永不傾跌，我的愛心很火熱必永不發冷，我的決定很堅決沒有什麼能更改。”不，他的信完全在於耶和華。若我們的信不立在萬古磐石之上，那末我們的信連夢都不如，終必落在我們身上壓傷我們，使我們悲傷失望。自然所成就的到時都必顯露，個中人必永遠不解其底蘊。詩人很聰明，他完全靠賴耶和華的工作。神既在我們心中動了善工就必成全。他既然開了工，若他不繼續成就，必不算為完全。若我們所要穿的屬天的義袍還差一針，我們就是失喪的，但我們要信，主既動工就必成全。他曾動了一切的工，就必繼續那一切的工，並要完成那一切的工。我們的信不要放在我們所已成的事上，也不要放在我們決定去作的事上，而要完全放在神所要作的事上。不信的心委曲婉轉地說：“你必不能站立得穩。看看你心中的惡，你永不能勝過你的罪；你看環繞著你的眾多的罪中之樂和世界的誘惑，你必受它們的勾引而步入歧途。”不錯，若我們靠自己的力量必然要滅亡。若憑我們的力量在風浪大作的海上駕駛我們的小船，我們早就灰心喪膽不敢航行了，但感謝神，他必成全關乎我們的事，他必領我們到所願去的海口。我們單單信他才是確實的信心，只要有這種信靠的心，一切關乎我們的事就必得以成全。

May 23

"The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." -- Psalm 138:8

Most manifestly the confidence which the Psalmist here expressed was a divine confidence. He did not say, "I have grace enough to perfect that which concerneth me--my faith is so steady that it will not stagger--my love is so warm that it will never grow cold--my resolution is so firm that nothing can move it; no, his dependence was on the Lord alone. If we indulge in any confidence which is not grounded on the Rock of ages, our confidence is worse than a dream, it will fall upon us, and cover us with its ruins, to our sorrow and confusion. All that Nature spins time will unravel, to the eternal confusion of all who are clothed therein. The Psalmist was wise, he rested upon nothing short of the Lord's work. It is the Lord who has begun the good work within us; it is He who has carried it on; and if he does not finish it, it never will be complete. If there be one stitch in the celestial garment of our righteousness which we are to insert ourselves, then we are lost; but this is our confidence, the Lord who began will perfect. He has done it all, must do it all, and will do it all. Our confidence must not be in what we have done, nor in what we have resolved to do, but entirely in what the Lord will do. Unbelief insinuates-- "You will never be able to stand. Look at the evil of your heart, you can never conquer sin; remember the sinful pleasures and temptations of the world that beset you, you will be certainly allured by them and led astray." Ah! yes, we should indeed perish if left to our own strength. If we had alone to navigate our frail vessels over so rough a sea, we might well give up the voyage in despair; but, thanks be to God, He will perfect that which concerneth us, and bring us to the desired haven. We can never be too confident when we confide in Him alone, and never too much concerned to have such a trust.