渴望上帝Yearning for God
[每日靈修] 11/13/2018, 駱鴻銘編譯
從某種意義上說，我們看不見上帝是很幸運的。如果幔子被移開一秒鐘，我們瞥見了上帝的面光，就會立即滅亡。祂的光芒如此輝煌，祂的榮耀如此耀眼，以至於在我們目前腐敗的狀態下，我們無法看見祂。無論是在詛咒中，還是在保護恩典的行動中，祂都是我們看不見的。只要我們仍然被罪所感染，我們就注定要在祂的世界中徘徊，看不見祂。我們可以藉著祂的話語得到安慰，並被祂聖靈的神秘職事得醫治，但我們卻看不到祂臉上至高無上的美麗。
但我們有一個夢想；不，不僅僅是個夢想。我們有確定無疑的應許，總有一天我們會面對面見到祂。每個基督徒的心都渴望見到基督的面容。我們渴望直接看到上帝自己而不必擔心被消滅。有朝一日，那種深切的渴望必將得到應驗。
在未來看見上帝，被人稱為「榮福直觀」，因為它將帶來終末成全的蒙福狀態，我們就是為此被創造、被贖回的。耶穌所說的八福之一就是：「清心的人有福了！因為他們必得見上帝」（太五8）。在天上，我們必是清心的。在天上我們會看見上帝。
活在神的面光中（在神面前禱告）：
你渴望見到上帝嗎？反思祂的應許：「清心的人有福了！因為他們必得見上帝。」
進一步研讀：
約壹三1~3 你看父賜給我們是何等的慈愛，使我們得稱為神的兒女；我們也真是祂的兒女。世人所以不認識我們，是因未曾認識祂。 親愛的弟兄啊，我們現在是神的兒女，將來如何，還未顯明；但我們知道，主若顯現，我們必要像祂、因為必得見祂的真體。凡向祂有這指望的，就潔淨自己，像祂潔淨一樣。
Yearning for God
In a
sense we are fortunate that we cannot see God. If for one second the veil were
removed and we caught a brief glimpse of the face of God, we would perish
instantly. His effulgence is so brilliant, His glory so dazzling, that in our
present corrupted state we could not bear the sight of Him. He remains
invisible both as a curse and as an act of protecting grace. As long as we
remain infected by sin we are doomed to wander in His world sightless with
respect to Him. We may be comforted by His Word and healed by the secret
ministration of His Spirit, but we cannot see the supreme beauty of His face.
But
we have a dream; nay, more than a dream. We have the sure and certain promise
that someday we will see Him face to face. The heart of every Christian longs
for the face of Christ. We yearn to look directly at God Himself without fear
of being consumed. That deep yearning will be fulfilled one day.
The
future vision of God is called the “Beatific Vision” because it will bring in
its wake the consummate blessedness for which we were created and redeemed. One
of the Beatitudes spoken by Jesus was, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they
shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). In heaven we will be pure in heart. In heaven we will
see God.
Coram
Deo
Do
you yearn to see God? Reflect on His promise: “Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God.”
Passages
for Further Study
1
John 3:1–3