上帝的话语是得安慰的源头。

My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. Psalm 119:50

这话将我救活了。我在患难中，因此得安慰。-诗篇119篇50节

Among the hundreds of articles I’ve written for Our Daily Bread since 1988, a few stick in my mind. One such article is from the mid-1990s when I told of a time our three girls were away at camp or on mission trips, so six-year-old Steve and I had some guy time.

我从1988年开始撰写《灵命日粮》文章，在数百篇文章中，有几篇至今仍印象深刻。其中一篇是在1990年代中期所写的，文中提到，有一次我的三个女儿因露营或短宣而不在家，我和六岁的儿子史帝夫因此有了单独相处的时间。

As we were enjoying an excursion to the airport, Steve turned to me and said, “It’s not as much fun without Melissa,” his eight-year-old sister and sidekick. Neither of us knew then how poignant those words would turn out to be. Life indeed has not been “as much fun” for the years since Mell died in a car accident as a teenager. The passage of time may dull the ache, but nothing takes the pain away completely. Time cannot heal that wound. But here’s something that can help: listening to, meditating on, and savoring the solace promised by the God of all comfort.

我带着儿子去机场玩了一趟，儿子突然转头对我说：“少了梅丽莎就少了很多乐趣。”他八岁的姐姐是他亲密的伙伴。当时，我们都不知道这竟会一语成谶。自从豆蔻年华的梅丽莎在车祸中意外丧生后，我们的生活确实“少了很多乐趣”。时间虽能减缓痛苦，却没有任何方法能完全带走悲伤。时间虽无法治愈伤口，但只要我们倾听、默想并咀嚼上帝所应许的安慰，就能帮助我们走过丧亲之痛。

Listen: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail” (Lamentations 3:22).

倾听：“我们不至消灭，是出于耶和华诸般的慈爱，是因祂的怜悯不致断绝。”（耶利米哀歌3章22节）

Meditate: “In the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling” (Psalm 27:5).

默想：“因为我遭遇患难，祂必暗暗地保守我。”（诗篇27篇5节）

Savor: “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life” (119:50).

咀嚼：“这话将我救活了。我在患难中，因此得安慰。”（诗篇119篇50节）

Life can never be the same again when someone we love is gone. But God’s promises bring hope and comfort. 

当挚爱的亲人离世，我们的生活就不可能再如同往常一样，但上帝的应许能带来盼望与安慰。

上帝，谢谢祢，因祢总是在我们身边。感谢祢，在我们痛苦时安慰我们，赐给我们平安。

Psalm 34:15-18    NIV

34 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;

16 but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.

18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

诗篇 34:15-18 

34 耶和华的眼目看顾义人，他的耳朵听他们的呼求。

16 耶和华向行恶的人变脸，要从世上除灭他们的名号。

17 义人呼求，耶和华听见了，便救他们脱离一切患难。

18 耶和华靠近伤心的人，拯救灵性痛悔的人。

INSIGHT

灵粮透视

When God, who is Spirit (John 4:24), is portrayed in Scripture as having human features it’s called anthropomorphism (from anthropos, “man” and morphe, “form”). Literally speaking, God does not have eyes, ears, a face, or arms (Psalm 34:15–16; Isaiah 59:1–2). These descriptions, however, help us better grasp who God is because we can see parallels in our human experience. They help us understand that the Lord carefully attends to those who belong to Him. 

上帝是灵（约翰福音4章24节），当圣经描绘上帝有人的特征时，是所谓的拟人化的说法。事实上，上帝没有眼睛、耳朵、脸或膀臂（诗篇34篇15-16节；以赛亚书59章1-2节）。然而，这些描述却有助于我们对上帝的认识，因为我们可以从人类的经验中看到相似之处，这些拟人化的说法帮助我们明白，上帝细心看顾那些属祂的人。

When Jesus came to Earth, figures of speech gave way to reality. The eternal Word who was God (John 1:1) became flesh and dwelt among us (v. 14). Jesus looked on the multitudes with compassion (Matthew 9:36), He made Himself available to those whose bodies were diseased and broken (Mark 1:29–34); and His body was wounded so our sins would be forgiven (1 Peter 2:24). Through both figure of speech in the Old Testament and the real-time ministry of Jesus in the New Testament we understand that the God of heaven cares deeply. And we have hope!

当耶稣来到世上时，这些描述就变成了真实。这位真神是永恒之道（约翰福音1章1节），祂成了血肉之躯，住在我们中间（14节）。耶稣看见众人就怜悯他们（马太福音9章36节），那些身体有残疾或生病的人可以来寻求祂（马可福音1章29-34节）；祂的身体忍受鞭伤和酷刑，使我们的罪得赦免（彼得前书2章24节）。透过旧约比喻性的讲论和新约耶稣的真实事工，我们明白那位在高天的上帝深切顾念我们，我们也就有了盼望！

Ponder the truth that in Jesus the world experienced “God with us” (see Matthew 1:23).

让我们思想这个真理：藉着耶稣，世人可以体验到“上帝与我们同在”（参阅马太福音1章23节）。

整理：于姊妹