【诗篇 119:71–72】“我受苦是与我有益，为要使我学习祢的律例。祢口中的律法与我有益，胜于千万金银。”【Psalm 119:71–72】“It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn Your decrees. The law from Your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.”

回首一段痛苦的岁月并说“我受苦是与我有益”，这需要信心。诗人并不是在称赞苦难本身是好事。他乃是在显明神借着苦难所成就的美善。It takes faith to look back on a painful season and say, “It was good for me to be afflicted.” The psalmist was not calling suffering good. He was recognising the good that God had produced through it.

有时候，困难之所以临到，是因为我们偏行己路。就在前面不远的几节经文中，诗人说：“我未受苦以先走迷了路，现在却遵守祢的话。” 神借着苦难，使他的心重新转向了祂。Sometimes difficulties come because we have gone our own way. Just a few verses earlier, the psalmist says, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.” God used his affliction to turn his heart back to Him.

然而，苦难并不总是意味着我们做错了什么。耶稣从未犯过罪，却承受了苦难。But suffering does not always mean we have done something wrong. Jesus never sinned, yet He suffered. 在客西马尼园面对十字架时，祂祷告说：“不要照我的意思，只要照祢的意思。”借着苦难，耶稣向我们展示了对天父完全的降服与顺服是怎样的。In Gethsemane, facing the cross, He prayed, “Not my will, but yours be done.” Through suffering, Jesus showed us what complete surrender and obedience to the Father looks like.

我们也会经历一些阶段，神要求我们放下：自己所想要的、自己所认为应该发生的，或是自己极其渴望的结果。We also go through seasons when God asks us to lay down what we want, what we think should happen, or the outcome we desperately desire. 这些时刻可能会很痛苦。然而，它们却能成为我们生命中成长最深沉的时刻。These moments can be painful. Yet they can become some of the deepest places of growth in our lives. 苦难有一种独特的管道，能显明我们心里真实的光景。它能将我们带到这样一个地步：不再坚持自己的意思，而是开始说：“主啊，我信靠祢，祢的旨意胜过我的旨意。” Affliction has a way of revealing what is really in our hearts. It can bring us to a place where we stop insisting on our own way and begin to say, “Lord, I trust You. Your will is better than mine.”

也许正因如此，诗人紧接着说：“祢口中的律法与我有益，胜于千万金银。”借着所受的苦难，神的话语在他眼里变得极其宝贵。Perhaps this is why the psalmist immediately says, “The law from Your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.” Through what he suffered, God’s Word became precious to him. 他发现，有神的真理引导生命，胜过得着自己所渴望的一切。He discovered that having God’s truth guiding his life was worth more than having everything he wanted.

有时，唯有当走过幽谷之后，我们才能回首并说：“主啊，我绝不会主动选择那段岁月，但借着它，祢教导了我去信靠祢、降服于祢，并宝贵祢的话语。” Sometimes only after we have walked through the valley can we look back and say, “Lord, I would never have chosen that season, but through it You taught me to trust You, surrender to You, and treasure Your Word.”

祷告 | Prayer

主啊，当我们经过艰难的岁月时，求祢帮助我们不要浪费祢想要教导我们的功课。Lord, when we go through difficult seasons, help us not to waste what You want to teach us. 如果我们走迷了路，求祢将我们带回祢的道路上。If we have gone astray, bring us back to Your ways.

如果祢正要求我们放下自己的欲望，求祢赐我们恩典，使我们能与耶稣一同说：“不要照我的意思，只要照祢的意思。” If You are asking us to lay down our own desires, give us grace to say with Jesus, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” 求祢教导我们更深地信靠祢，并宝贵祢的话语胜过这世界所能给予的一切。Teach us to trust You more deeply and treasure Your Word above everything this world can give.

奉耶稣的名祈求，阿们。In Jesus' Name Pray, Amen.

（Pastor Jane）