The Place of Humiliation

If You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us —Mark 9:22

After every time of exaltation, we are brought down with a sudden rush into things as they really are, where it is neither beautiful, poetic, nor thrilling. The height of the mountaintop is measured by the dismal drudgery of the valley, but it is in the valley that we have to live for the glory of God. We see His glory on the mountain, but we never live for His glory there. It is in the place of humiliation that we find our true worth to God— that is where our faithfulness is revealed. Most of us can do things if we are always at some heroic level of intensity, simply because of the natural selfishness of our own hearts. But God wants us to be at the drab everyday level, where we live in the valley according to our personal relationship with Him. Peter thought it would be a wonderful thing for them to remain on the mountain, but Jesus Christ took the disciples down from the mountain and into the valley, where the true meaning of the vision was explained (see Mark 9:5-6 , Mark 14-23).

“If you can do anything . . . .” It takes the valley of humiliation to remove the skepticism from us. Look back at your own experience and you will find that until you learned who Jesus really was, you were a skillful skeptic about His power. When you were on the mountaintop you could believe anything, but what about when you were faced with the facts of the valley? You may be able to give a testimony regarding your sanctification, but what about the thing that is a humiliation to you right now? The last time you were on the mountain with God, you saw that all the power in heaven and on earth belonged to Jesus— will you be skeptical now, simply because you are in the valley of humiliation?

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謙卑的領域

你若能作什麼，求你憐憫我們，幫助我們。 （可九22）

每次高峰經歷之後，神會突然把我們帶下山去，面對既不美麗，也不詩意，更無興奮可言的現實。山峰的高度是以山谷中單調的生活來量度的，但正是這山谷的生活，才是榮耀神的生活。我們在山頂上看見神的榮耀，但卻永不會在那里為榮耀他而活。在謙卑低微的境地中，才真正顯露我們對神的價值，顯出我們的忠貞。在英雄的高台上，多半人都可以大顯身手，因為我們心中有自私的天性；但神卻要我們處身在枯燥平凡的境地，要我們在山谷中，單憑與他的關係而活。彼得以為留在山上最好不過，可是主耶穌卻把門徒從山上帶下山谷，在那裡，山上的異象才得以啟露。

[你若能作什麼……]在山谷的卑微中，才能把我們多疑的根拔掉。試回想你的經歷，在你認識主耶穌是誰以前，你是一個奸狡的不信者。在山上的時候，你什麼都相信，可是在山谷中面對現實時又如何呢？你大可以作見證，說成聖之道，可是對那如今令你屈辱的事，你如何處理？上一次你與神在山上，看見天上地下權柄都在耶穌手中；如今在卑下的山谷中，你有沒有疑惑？

祈禱◆主啊，昔日我在你面前的生活，彷如四處漂流、黯淡無光，直至你在我裡面出現。因著我相信你大能的救贖，我稱頌你，可是，噢，能察覺你的感動竟然會帶來如此的分別！