Learning About His Ways

When Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples . . . He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities —Matthew 11:1

He comes where He commands us to leave. If you stayed home when God told you to go because you were so concerned about your own people there, then you actually robbed them of the teaching of Jesus Christ Himself. When you obeyed and left all the consequences to God, the Lord went into your city to teach, but as long as you were disobedient, you blocked His way. Watch where you begin to debate with Him and put what you call your duty into competition with His commands. If you say, “I know that He told me to go, but my duty is here,” it simply means that you do not believe that Jesus means what He says.

He teaches where He instructs us not to teach. “Master . . . let us make three tabernacles . . .” (Luke 9:33).

Are we playing the part of an amateur providence, trying to play God’s role in the lives of others? Are we so noisy in our instruction of other people that God cannot get near them? We must learn to keep our mouths shut and our spirits alert. God wants to instruct us regarding His Son, and He wants to turn our times of prayer into mounts of transfiguration. When we become certain that God is going to work in a particular way, He will never work in that way again.

He works where He sends us to wait. “. . . tarry . . . until . . .” (Luke 24:49). “Wait on the Lord” and He will work (Psalm 37:34). But don’t wait sulking spiritually and feeling sorry for yourself, just because you can’t see one inch in front of you! Are we detached enough from our own spiritual fits of emotion to “wait patiently for Him”? (Psalm 37:7). Waiting is not sitting with folded hands doing nothing, but it is learning to do what we are told.

These are some of the facets of His ways that we rarely recognize.

---

更認識他的作為

耶穌吩咐完了十二個門徒，就離開那裡，往各城去傳道教訓人。 （太十一1）

若神叫你[去]，你卻因為過於牽掛本地的人而留下來；那末，你反剝奪了他們領受主耶穌教訓的機會。你若順服，把一切後果交給神，他就到你的城裡去教訓人。你一天不順服，就成了阻礙。當心辯論一開始，你所謂的責任，就與主的命令相抗衡。 [我知道神叫我去，但他們——我的責任卻在此。 ]這樣說，就表示你不把主的話當真。他吩咐我們不要去教導的地方，他自己會去。

[夫子……我們搭三座棚。 ]我們是否在別人身上，充當了業餘的神明？我們教導別人的聲音，是否使神根本無法就近他人？要閉嘴，保持心靈的敏銳。神要把他兒子的事教訓我們，要把我們禱告的時間變成登山變像的經歷。可是，我們卻不讓他這樣做。我們自以為知道神一定用某種方法行事時，他就不再用那種方法。他吩咐我們在那裡等候，他就在那裡作工。

[等候，直到……]等候神，他就必作工。可是等候的時候，不要因為看不到出路而鬱鬱不樂。我們能否離開自己那份屬靈的激情去等候神？等候不是抱著手呆著，乃是學習按神的吩咐而行。神在這幾方面的作為，我們甚少人認識。

祈禱◆主啊，在這個早上，我的處境對我的意識構成極大的壓力。讓我的思想、情感，我的整個本性，去思想你為我所命定的是甚麼；由此，我便可以知道我所做的並沒有錯。