一位朋友的朋友打电话给我说：“牧师，我再也受不了了。神真的就想我这样日复一日地受苦，无法解脱吗？”他的疾病折磨着他，他想寻求结束自己的生命的许可。他想知道，神是否会为此生他的气。
受苦并不是神的旨意。它是这个破碎世界生活的一部份。神的光已经打破黑暗，但我们仍在等候神的计划完全成就。耶稣要再来修复一切。在此期间，生活可能会极其艰难，而我们——作为神的百姓——需要忍耐。要紧紧抓住盼望。
雅各提醒读者先知们和约伯的忍耐。约伯曾遭遇极大的苦难，失去所有孩子、财产和健康。然而他并没有失去盼望或放弃。神在苦难中与他同在，并最终恢复了他的财产，加倍地赐福给他。
约伯故事的重点不在于他重新获得财产，而是他守住了对神的信靠，神也显出祂的怜悯和仁慈。
我唯一能回答那位想要放弃生命的朋友的是：你的生命对神来说很宝贵。坚持住，直到主说，可以回家了。
主耶稣，你知道痛苦和折磨的滋味，当我们挣扎着面对又一个痛苦和不确定的日子来临时，你理解我们。愿我们在前行路上感受到你充满慈爱的手臂环绕我们。阿们。
雅各书 5:7-11
7弟兄们哪，你们要忍耐，直到主来。看哪，农夫忍耐等候地里宝贵的出产，直到得了秋雨春雨。
8你们也当忍耐，坚固你们的心，因为主来的日子近了。
9弟兄们，你们不要彼此埋怨，免得受审判。看哪，审判的主站在门前了！
10弟兄们，你们要把那先前奉主名说话的众先知当做能受苦、能忍耐的榜样。
11那先前忍耐的人，我们称他们是有福的。你们听见过约伯的忍耐，也知道主给他的结局，明显主是满心怜悯、大有慈悲。
"As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered." — James 5:11
A friend of a friend called me: “Pastor, I can’t do this anymore. Would God really want me to suffer like this, day after day, with no relief?” His illness was tormenting him, and he was looking for permission to end his life. He wondered if God would be angry with him.
Suffering is not God’s will. It is part of life in this broken world; God’s light has broken into the darkness, but we still long for the complete fulfillment of God’s plan. Jesus is coming again to restore everything. Meanwhile, life can be excruciatingly difficult, and we—as God’s people—are called to persevere. Hold on tightly to hope.
James reminds readers of the perseverance of the prophets and of Job, a man who suffered greatly when he lost all his children, all his possessions, and his health. Yet he did not lose hope or give up. God was there with him and eventually restored his possessions and gave him abundantly more.
The point of Job’s story is not that he regained possessions but that he persevered in his faith in God and that God demonstrates compassion and mercy.
This is the only reply I could give to the friend who was almost ready to give up: Your life is precious to God. Hang on until God says it’s time to come home.
Jesus, you know agony and suffering, and you empathize with us when we struggle to face yet another day of pain and uncertainty. May we feel your loving arms surround us as we push forward. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
