三月八日[mp3_embed playlst=”/downloading/audio/evening/03/0308.mp3″]
经文: 给她儿子起西叫便俄尼（忧愁之子），他父亲却给他起名叫便雅悯（我右手之子）。（创世记三十五：18）
每一事件都有其光明面也有其黑暗面。拉结被难产之痛苦击败逝去了。雅各虽为失去妻子而哭泣，却能见到美丽的婴儿诞生。当肉体为试验而悲哀，以至信心能更坚定，这试验于我们反倒有益的。波涛汹涌的大海以鱼喂养众人；原始丛林盛开着细巧的野花；怒号的狂风扫尽了黑死病；凛冽的冰霜凿松了泥土。黑云蒸馏出亮丽的水珠，黑土生长出灿烂的花朵。每一个坏矿中仍能寻得一条好脉。忧愁之心特别擅于发现最坏的观点，并从此角度来观察试验。倘若世上只有一片沼泽，人们仍会很快低陷其中。倘若森林中只有一头狮子，人们仍能听到它的咆哮。我们常常会像雅各一样地哭诉：“这些事都归到我身上。”（创四十二：36）。信心乃是将万事交托给主，然后能从最坏的不幸中预见美好的结局。经历撬开粗糙蚝壳般的艰辛，信心将获到珍贵的稀世之珠。从深海的危险礁洞中，伸展出无价的珊瑚。当淘涌潮水退后，信心从沙粒中发现了隐藏的珍珠。当喜乐的太阳西沈后，信心将希望之望远镜转向天堂繁星之应许。当死亡来临时，信心指向超越坟墓的复活之光。
Evening, March 8
Scripture: “She called his name Benoni (son of sorrow), but his father called him Benjamin (son of my right hand).”(Genesis 35:18)
To every matter there is a bright as well as a dark side. Rachel was overwhelmed with the sorrow of her own travail and death; Jacob, though weeping the mother’s loss, could see the mercy of the child’s birth. It is well for us if, while the flesh mourns over trials, our faith triumphs in divine faithfulness. Samson’s lion yielded honey, and so will our adversities, if rightly considered. The stormy sea feeds multitudes with its fishes; the wild wood blooms with beauteous florets; the stormy wind sweeps away the pestilence, and the biting frost loosens the soil. Dark clouds distil bright drops, and black earth grows gay flowers. A vein of good is to be found in every mine of evil. Sad hearts have peculiar skill in discovering the most disadvantageous point of view from which to gaze upon a trial; if there were only one slough in the world, they would soon be up to their necks in it, and if there were only one lion in the desert they would hear it roar. About us all there is a tinge of this wretched folly, and we are apt, at times, like Jacob, to cry, “All these things are against me.” Faith’s way of walking is to cast all care upon the Lord, and then to anticipate good results from the worst calamities. Like Gideon’s men, she does not fret over the broken pitcher, but rejoices that the lamp blazes forth the more. Out of the rough oyster-shell of difficulty she extracts the rare pearl of honour, and from the deep ocean-caves of distress she uplifts the priceless coral of experience. When her flood of prosperity ebbs, she finds treasures hid in the sands; and when her sun of delight goes down, she turns her telescope of hope to the starry promises of heaven. When death itself appears, faith points to the light of resurrection beyond the grave, thus making our dying Benoni to be our living Benjamin.