等待的智慧
亚伯拉罕焦急地等待着神应许赐给他和撒莱的孩子出生，对他来说，神似乎迟迟未能兑现衪的应许。亚伯拉罕和撒莱终于感到对神有些不耐烦了，于是便尝试按他们自己不敬虔的方法（藉着撒莱的使女）来获得一个孩子。亚伯拉罕愚昧地走在神之前 － 以致事后留下了骨肉相争的后患。
我们当中很多人或许会想起我们自己也曾做过类似的事；我们不喜欢神拟定的时间，于是开始怀疑衪是否真的可靠。我们的错误大概没有像亚伯拉罕所犯的那么严重，然而我们仍然曾冲动前行和尝试掌控我们自己的命运。
我们总觉得，主动出击比守株待兔更为容易、奋发努力比信靠上帝更为容易、取代上帝比顺服引领更为容易。然而亚伯拉罕吃了苦头后领受了教训，有一件比等候神更难受的事 － 就是后悔未曾耐心等待。亚伯拉罕的下半生，都因自己当初的信心不足和鲁莽行事而追悔莫及。
神定的时间表和我们的计划往往不是同步的，所以我们便需要遵命去等候祂。然而，主所应许的尚未成就，其实不是耽延（彼得后书 3:9）。从永恒的角度来看。神所预定的时间是完美的。神吩咐我们只要信靠衪、给衪必要的时间和空间来成就衪完美的计划。
主啊，我们有幸在你重建这个世界的计划中有份。求你帮助我们参与到这个计划中，并且耐心地等待看到你在我们里面和透过我们所做成的工。阿们。
创世记 16章
1亚伯兰的妻子撒莱不给他生儿女。撒莱有一个使女，名叫夏甲，是埃及人。
2撒莱对亚伯兰说：“耶和华使我不能生育，求你和我的使女同房，或者我可以因她得孩子。”亚伯兰听从了撒莱的话。
3于是亚伯兰的妻子撒莱将使女埃及人夏甲给了丈夫为妾，那时亚伯兰在迦南已经住了十年。
4亚伯兰与夏甲同房，夏甲就怀了孕。她见自己有孕，就小看她的主母。
5撒莱对亚伯兰说：“我因你受屈！我将我的使女放在你怀中，她见自己有了孕，就小看我。愿耶和华在你我中间判断。”
6亚伯兰对撒莱说：“使女在你手下，你可以随意待她。”撒莱苦待她，她就从撒莱面前逃走了。
7耶和华的使者在旷野书珥路上的水泉旁遇见她，
8对她说：“撒莱的使女夏甲，你从哪里来？要往哪里去？”夏甲说：“我从我的主母撒莱面前逃出来。”
9耶和华的使者对她说：“你回到你主母那里，服在她手下。”
10又说：“我必使你的后裔极其繁多，甚至不可胜数。”
11并说：“你如今怀孕要生一个儿子，可以给他起名叫以实玛利，因为耶和华听见了你的苦情。
12他为人必像野驴，他的手要攻打人，人的手也要攻打他。他必住在众弟兄的东边。”
13夏甲就称那对她说话的耶和华为“看顾人的神”，因而说：“在这里我也看见那看顾我的吗？”
14所以这井名叫庇耳拉海莱。这井正在加低斯和巴列中间。
15后来夏甲给亚伯兰生了一个儿子，亚伯兰给他起名叫以实玛利。
16夏甲给亚伯兰生以实玛利的时候，亚伯兰年八十六岁。
The Wisdom Of Waiting
"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you." - 2 Peter 3:9
Abraham struggled to wait for his and Sarai's promised child to be born. It seemed to him that God was too slow in keeping his promises. Eventually Abraham and Sarai lost patience with God and tried to have a child in their own unsanctified way (through Sarai's servant). In his foolishness, Abraham ran ahead of God—leaving a path of relational carnage in his wake.
Many of us can probably recall times when we have done something similar. We were unhappy with God's timing and began doubting his reliability. Maybe we didn't go as far as Abraham did, but we still charged ahead and tried to direct our own destiny.
Often we find it easier to work rather than wait, to try harder rather than to trust, to play God rather than to surrender to him. But Abraham learned the hard way that there is one thing worse than waiting for God—and that is wishing you had waited. Abraham spent the rest of his life regretting his lack of faith and the rashness of his actions.
God's timing and ours are often not in sync, so we are called to wait. And yet the Lord is not slow in keeping his promises (2 Peter 3:9). From the perspective of eternity, God's timing is perfect. Our calling is simply to trust God, giving him the time and space needed to work out his good plan.
Lord, it is a privilege to be part of your great plan to restore this world. Help us to step into that plan, waiting patiently to see what you will do in us and through us. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
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