八月二十八日[mp3_embed playlst=”/downloading/audio/evening/08/0828.mp3″]
经文: 你这不怀孕不生养的，要歌唱。（以赛亚书五十四：1）
我们能为基督结出一些果子，并能存着欢喜的盼望，因为我们是“耶和华所栽的，叫祂得荣耀”（赛六十一：3）。然而，有时候我们会感到十分贫乏。我们的祷告是无生气的，我们的爱是冷淡的、我们的信心是软弱的，在我们心园中的各种恩典都凋萎憔悴了。我们如同艳阳下的花朵，渴望一场清新的阵两。本经文向我们说的正是如此光景。“你这不怀孕不生养的要歌唱……要发声歌唱，扬声欢呼。”可是，我能唱什么呢？我无法谈现在，甚至过去也显得空虚。我能唱耶稣基督。我能夸祂从天降下，为祂百姓的救赎所付出的大爱。我要再到十字架前。这同一的十字架曾经赐我生命，也能使我结实累累。我的贫瘠是祂创造果实能力的平台。我的荒芜是镶嵌祂蓝宝石般永远之爱的框子。我带着贫穷前去、带着无助前去、带着所有羞耻和背道前去。我仍然是祂的孩子。我对祂存着信心，我虽然不育，仍要歌唱，仍要扬声。歌唱吧，信徒，因为歌唱能使你自己的心欢乐，也使其他荒芜的心欢乐。歌唱吧，不久你就能结出果子！不育的经验是痛苦的，但是主的造访是喜乐的。当我们感到一无所有时，就会驱使我们到基督的面前，并且在祂里面，我们找到了自己的果子。
Evening, August 28
Scripture: “Sing, O barren.”(Isaiah 54:1)
Though we have brought forth some fruit unto Christ, and have a joyful hope that we are “plants of his own right hand planting,” yet there are times when we feel very barren. Prayer is lifeless, love is cold, faith is weak, each grace in the garden of our heart languishes and droops. We are like flowers in the hot sun, requiring the refreshing shower. In such a condition what are we to do? The text is addressed to us in just such a state. “Sing, O barren, break forth and cry aloud.” But what can I sing about? I cannot talk about the present, and even the past looks full of barrenness. Ah! I can sing of Jesus Christ. I can talk of visits which the Redeemer has aforetimes paid to me; or if not of these, I can magnify the great love wherewith he loved his people when he came from the heights of heaven for their redemption. I will go to the cross again. Come, my soul, heavy laden thou wast once, and thou didst lose thy burden there. Go to Calvary again. Perhaps that very cross which gave thee life may give thee fruitfulness. What is my barrenness? It is the platform for his fruit-creating power. What is my desolation? It is the black setting for the sapphire of his everlasting love. I will go in poverty, I will go in helplessness, I will go in all my shame and backsliding, I will tell him that I am still his child, and in confidence in his faithful heart, even I, the barren one, will sing and cry aloud.
Sing, believer, for it will cheer thine own heart, and the hearts of other desolate ones. Sing on, for now that thou art really ashamed of being barren, thou wilt be fruitful soon; now that God makes thee loath to be without fruit he will soon cover thee with clusters. The experience of our barrenness is painful, but the Lord’s visitations are delightful. A sense of our own poverty drives us to Christ, and that is where we need to be, for in him is our fruit found.