五月十六日[mp3_embed playlst=”/downloading/audio/evening/05/0516.mp3″]
经文: 他便说，耶和华如此说，你们要在这谷中满处挖沟。因为耶如华如此说，你们虽不见风，不见雨，这谷必满了水，使你们、和牲畜有水喝。（列王纪下三：16～17）
三王的军队因缺水行将灭亡。上帝已准备赐下水，先知预告了即将来临的祝福。这是一件人类无以能的实例。所有骁勇的人都无法从井中取得一滴水。上帝的百姓目睹自己的无能，因此明白帮助必须是单单来自上帝。上帝指示他们要为上帝的祝福作相信的准备。他们挖沟为了接受这宝贵的水。同样，教会必须预备自已来接受祝福。她必须将水池准备妥当，主才能将它充满。在祝福降下以前，她必须确实完成准备的工作。最后，奇妙供应的水就来了。在以利亚的事件中，阵雨从雪中倾盆降下，但在教会里，水池的充满是在安静神秘的情形下进行的。主有祂自己作主的行动方法，我们的工作只是以感恩的心，从祂领受，而不是去指挥祂。我们也必须注意特别丰富的供应──足以供给所有人之需要。福音也是这样。整个教会的需要，在上帝大能的应允时得满足。我为耶稣作了何事？我在挖掘的是什么沟？主啊！求使我准备接受祢所乐意赐予的祝福。
Evening, May 16
Scripture: “And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches. For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye and your cattle, and your beasts.”(2 Kings 3:16,17)
The armies of the three kings were famishing for want of water: God was about to send it, and in these words the prophet announced the coming blessing. Here wasa case of human helplessness: not a drop of water could all the valiant men procure from the skies or find in the wells of earth. Thus often the people of the Lord are at their wits’ end; they see the vanity of the creature, and learn experimentally where their help is to be found. Still the people were to make a believing preparation for the divine blessing; they were to dig the trenches in which the precious liquid would be held. The church must by her varied agencies, efforts, and prayers, make herself ready to be blessed; she must make the pools, and the Lord will fill them. This must be done in faith, in the full assurance that the blessing is about to descend. By-and-by there was a singular bestowal of the needed boon. Not as in Elijah’s case did the shower pour from the clouds, but in a silent and mysterious manner the pools were filled. The Lord has his own sovereign modes of action: he is not tied to manner and time as we are, but doeth as he pleases among the sons of men. It is ours thankfully to receive from him, and not to dictate to him. We must also notice the remarkable abundance of the supply －there was enough for the need of all. And so it is in the gospel blessing; all the wants of the congregation and of the entire church shall be met by the divine power in answer to prayer; and above all this, victory shall be speedily given to the armies of the Lord.
What am I doing for Jesus? What trenches am I digging? O Lord, make me ready to receive the blessing which thou art so willing to bestow.