Can You Thank God When Life Seems Bad?
在困境中你会感谢神吗?
Nov 29, 2017
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior”(Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV).
虽然无花果树不发旺,葡萄树不结果,橄榄树也不收成,田地不出粮食,圈中绝了羊,棚内也没有牛;然而,我要因耶和华欢欣,因救我的 神喜乐。(哈巴谷书 3:17-18 和修)
Gratitude develops your faith when times are tough — when things don’t make sense, when you can’t figure it out, when your prayers are unanswered, when life stinks, when everything is going the way you didn’t want it to go. Anybody can thank God for good things. But when you can thank God even in the bad things, your faith grows and your spiritual roots go deeper.
在艰难的时刻,态度是你的信心成长,当事情不明朗、你无法弄清楚、你的祷告没有回应、生活艰难、事情都朝着你不希望的方向发展的时候。任何人都为了好事感谢神。但是当你在不顺利的事情上也感谢神的时候,你的信心就会成长,你的灵命根基就会更深。
In the Bible, the prophet Habakkuk was going through tough times. He said,“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior”(Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV).
在圣经里,先知哈巴谷也在经历艰难的时刻,他说:“虽然无花果树不发旺,葡萄树不结果,橄榄树也不收成,田地不出粮食,圈中绝了羊,棚内也没有牛;然而,我要因耶和华欢欣,因救我的 神喜乐。”(哈巴谷书 3:17-18 和修)
Habakkuk wasn’t thanking God for all the things that had gone wrong in his life. What was his cause of gratitude?“I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
哈巴谷没有为着所有生命中那些变得糟糕的事情来感谢神。那什么是他有这样态度的原因呢?“我要因耶和华欢欣,因救我的 神喜乐。”
Habakkuk could say, “Everything else stinks in life, but I can be grateful, because the Lord is my Savior. He will pull me out. He’ll bring me through this. I’m not on my own. He hasn’t abandoned me. I will still give thanks to God.”
哈巴谷可以说,“生命中其他的事情都很糟糕,但是我仍然可以感恩,因为上帝是我的救主。他会拉我出来。他会带我经历这一切。我们不只是我自己。他没有放弃我。我仍然要感谢神。”
This is the ultimate test of faith: Can you thank God when life stinks? That’s the test of how deep your spiritual roots go.
这是信心的终极考验:你可以在困境中感谢神马?这是个关于信心根基深度的考验。
When you’re going through tough times, you need to look at what’s left, not what’s lost, and be grateful for it. No matter how bad things are, there arealwaysthousands of things you can be grateful for. And no matter how bad things are, there isalwaysthe fact that you can be thankful to God just for being God. He has promised to see you through, to help you out, to strengthen you, to care for you, to do miracles, to answer your prayers. He’s promised that even when things don’t go your way, he can work it for good in your life.
当我们在经历困境时,你需要看剩下了什么,而不是市区了什么,并为此感恩。不论多么糟糕的事情,你总能感激万分。并且不论多么糟糕的事情,总有一个事实,你可以只为上帝而向他感恩。他应许过你,帮助你,刚强你,照顾你,创造奇迹,来回应你的祷告。他承诺,即使事情没有按照你的方式,但是他依然可以在你的生命中做美好的工作。
Talk It Over
讨论问题
What are some of God’s promises from the Bible that can help you remember who he is and what he will do for you when times are tough?
有哪些上帝在圣经中的应许,可以帮助你记得他的身份,以及他在你生命中艰难的时刻要为你成就的事?
Think of someone you know who displayed (or is displaying right now) a deep faith in the face of adversity. What characteristics or habits mark that person’s spiritual life?
思想一下,在你知道的人中,谁在面对苦难时表现了(或者正在表现)深深的信心。有哪些特点或者习惯了标志着他的属灵生命?
Why does thanking God even in bad things reveal so much about your spiritual maturity?
为什么为不好的事情感谢神能够显示你属灵生命的成熟程度?