9月2日靈修禱文|DEVOTION

2 Kings 2:14

Suppose God asks us a question: Are we willing to manage our own assets by ourselves or rely on Him for daily supplies? Most likely, most people will choose the former.  In 1 Kings Chapter 17, Elijah was the one who chose the latter.  Since he firmly believed in the words of God, Elijah went to the brook Cherith to feed him by the crows. The words of God came to him again and told him to go to Zarephath to be fed by a widow.  After finding the widow, he found out that she and her son were going to have their last meal due to poverty.  Elijah was called by God to go to an unexpected place.  In a peculiar way, he found someone who didn't seem to be able to support him.  However, Elijah didn't seem to be bothered by this, he laid the responsibility of maintaining his life on God.  He brought his needs for living to the woman who "supported" him and her son, and they "ate for many days".  But this experience did not increase the woman's faith in God's words. "After this", the woman's son died from a serious illness, and this reminded her of her sins and she blamed Elijah.  When facing this unfair accusation, Elijah was however not angry but he treated the woman with kind heart instead, and he humbly laid down on the dead child's body and prayed for him three times.  God answered his prayer to bring the child back to life. Finally the woman affirmed that "the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth''.  Under the pandemic, we seem to have a lot of uncertainties which seriously affect our lives just like Elijah in the drought.  Elijah's God is still the God of today, and He still reigns.  But can we live by relying on God every day like Elijah, by simply just believing in His words, so that people around us will firmly believe that "the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth'' like the woman.

Lord, please forgive us for our weak faith.  We tend to focus on the needs of life and forget to rely on you intently.  When we face uncertain situations, we often focus on solving the problems and forget to firmly believe your words.  Lord, please cleanse us, let us be your circulation pipe.  Let everyone around us know your words, so that everyone around us in this generation can see the God of Elijah. Amen.

Elder Henry Leung

列王記下2:14

假如神問我們一個問題：我們願意自己管理我們自己的資產或是依賴祂每日供應？很可能，大部份人都會選擇前者。在列王記上十七章，以利亞卻是選擇後者的一個人。因為確信神的話語，以利亞去到基立溪旁由烏鴉供養他。神的話再臨到他，叫他去撒勒法给一個寡婦供養。找到這寡婦後，才發現她和兒子因貧窮，正準備吃最後一餐。從基立溪旁以利亞被神叫了去一個不是预期的地方，以一種奇特的方法，找到了一個完全不似是可供養他的人。但以利亞並不見得為此煩惱，他将维持生活的責任都交给神，並且，他将生活所需帶给"供養"他的婦人及她的兒子，並「吃了許多日子」。 但這個經歷卻未有增加婦人對神話語的信靠。「這事以後」， 婦人的兒子病重死了，令她想起自己的罪並怪責以利亞。對這不公平的指控，以利亞並没有動怒，反而以恩慈的心去對待婦人，並謙卑地三次伏在死去的孩子身上為他禱告。神應允了他的祈禱令孩子活過來。最後婦人肯定「耶和華藉你口所說的話是真的」。 在疫情下，我們好像以利亞時的旱災中，有很多不確定性，嚴重影响生活。 以利亞的神仍是今天的神，祂依舊掌權。但我們能否像以利亞般每天倚靠神己活，單單相信祂的話，致令我們身邊的人像那婦人一樣，肯定相信「耶和華所說的話是真的」。

主啊，求你寬恕我們的小信，我們往往注重生活所需而忘記專心的依靠你。我們在面對不確定的情況時，往往着眼於解决問題而忘記堅定的相信你的話語。主啊，求你潔淨我們，讓我們成為你流通的管子，令身邊的人都能認識你的話語，讓這個世代我們周圍的人都能看到以利亞的神。阿們

梁季怡 長老