10月15日

標 題：灰心

經 節：他說：「我為耶和華——萬軍之神大發熱心；因為以色列人背棄了你的約，毀壞了你的壇，用刀殺了你的先知，只剩下我一個人，他們還要尋索我的命。」（列王紀上十九章14節）

事奉神可能是極富挑戰性的！你可以奉獻所有給神的聖工，卻精疲力竭。這就是以利亞的寫照。神才剛剛使用以利亞，讓他吩咐火從天降，壯觀地展現神聖的大能。然而，以利亞愉快的心情很快被死亡的威脅所替代，嚇得趕緊逃跑保命。現在，他孤獨一人，又累又灰心。

神再次來到以利亞的面前。這一回，祂不是以火、大聲響或壯觀的形式出現，卻是以低沉微小的聲音向他說話。神的僕人累了，神安慰他。以利亞由定睛神的身上，轉到定睛敵擋神的人身上。他讓環境壓垮自己，使他不能清楚神的意向，並且覺得好寂寞。所以，神鼓勵他。神賜下以利沙作他的助手、朋友和同伴。

神把以利亞挪開事工一陣子，讓他能夠休息，花些時間單獨與神相處。當百姓們再看到以利亞的時候，他已經恢復精神，再次專心致力於神與神的聖工。

如果你正被事工壓得喘不過氣，以至於不再定睛在神的身上，在埋首一堆待做之事中，要讓神安慰你。聆聽祂溫柔的聲音。祂會鼓勵你，並且提供你所有的需要，預備你面對未來的挑戰。如果祂需要把你由當前的事工挪開，祂會如此行的。祂也可能會安置一位朋友或同工，在你的身邊幫助你，同負重擔。神知道該如何激勵你。讓祂如此行在你的身上。

Discouragement

And he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life." (1 Kings 19:14)

Kingdom work can be challenging! You can give everything you have to God’s service and come away exhausted. This is what happened to Elijah. God had just used Elijah to call down fire from heaven in a spectacular display of divine power. But Elijah’s exhilaration was soon replaced by strenuous work followed by death threats, causing him to flee for his life. Now he was alone, exhausted, and discouraged.

Again, God came to Elijah. This time, He came not in fire or in a loud, spectacular way, but in a still, small voice. God’s servant was tired, and God brought him comfort. Elijah’s focus had shifted from God to God’s enemies. He had allowed his circumstances to overwhelm him, leaving him disoriented to God and feeling alone. So God encouraged him. God provided Elisha for him as a helper, friend, and companion.

God removed Elijah from the activity for a time, so that he could rest and spend time with God. When the nation next saw Elijah, he was rejuvenated and refocused on God and His assignment.

If you are overwhelmed by kingdom work so that your focus is no longer on God but on all that there is to do, let Him comfort you. Listen to His gentle voice. He will encourage you and provide exactly what you need to prepare you for what comes next. If He needs to remove you from your work for a time, He will. He may place a friend or colaborer beside you to help carry the load. God knows exactly how to encourage you. Let Him do so.