八月四日[mp3_embed playlst=”/downloading/audio/evening/08/0804.mp3″]
经文: 在你们手下的各样工作上，我以旱风、霉烂、冰雹、攻击你们。（哈该书二：17）
冰雹对于成熟稻壳的毁坏性是多么强啊！它无情地将珍贵的壳粒打在地上。但是更值得害怕是那些神秘的破坏者──病害和霉烂。它们将玉黍穗变成黑色，使颗粒干死。无数细小的霉侵袭五谷，若非上帝的良善，遍地将遭饥荒。当我们思想到这些活跃的媒介物竟能轻易地毁坏收成时，我们就必须祈求：“我们日用的饮食，今日赐给我们。”（太六：11）咒诅是猖獗的，我们需要不断地祝福。病害和霉烂发生在植物上时，通常都是从天而来的惩罚。人必须学习忍受由于自己错误行为所带来的之惩罚的杖。从属灵方面来说，霉烂是一种普遍的罪恶。当我们对工作充满希望时，此病害就出现了。我们希望许多人悔改，但是却出现了冷淡、属世、残酷的刚硬之心，与我们作对。在我们辛勤工的对象中或许没有公开的犯罪，但却缺乏诚意与决心，令我们忧伤以致失去盼望。从这经验，我们要学会更依靠主、更需要祈求。属灵的骄傲和懒惰能迅速将这可怕的罪加诸我们，唯有庄稼的主能将这罪除去。霉烂甚至能侵袭我们自己的心，使我们的祈祷和热诚萎缩。但愿上帝保佑我们免受这个严重的灾难。赐福的公义日头，愿祢照亮，将病害驱逐尽净。
Evening, August 4
Scripture: “I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands.”(Haggai 2:17)
How destructive is the hail to the standing crops, beating out the precious grain upon the ground! How grateful ought we to be when the corn is spared so terrible a ruin! Let us offer unto the Lord thanksgiving. Even more to be dreaded are those mysterious destroyers－smut, bunt, rust, and mildew. These turn the ear into a mass of soot, or render it putrid, or dry up the grain, and all in a manner so beyond all human control that the farmer is compelled to cry, “This is the finger of God.” Innumerable minute fungi cause the mischief, and were it not for the goodness of God, the rider on the black horse would soon scatter famine over the land. Infinite mercy spares the food of men, but in view of the active agents which are ready to destroy the harvest, right wisely are we taught to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” The curse is abroad; we have constant need of the blessing. When blight and mildew come they are chastisements from heaven, and men must learn to hear the rod, and him that hath appointed it.
Spiritually, mildew is no uncommon evil. When our work is most promising this blight appears. We hoped for many conversions, and lo! a general apathy, an abounding worldliness, or a cruel hardness of heart! There may be no open sin in those for whom we are labouring, but there is a deficiency of sincerity and decision sadly disappointing our desires. We learn from this our dependence upon the Lord, and the need of prayer that no blight may fall upon our work. Spiritual pride or sloth will soon bring upon us the dreadful evil, and only the Lord of the harvest can remove it. Mildew may even attack our own hearts, and shrivel our prayers and religious exercises. May it please the great Husbandman to avert so serious a calamity. Shine, blessed Sun of Righteousness, and drive the blights away.
