March - 9
THE POWER OF GOD’S PROMISE
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Hebrews 6:19
In 1988 a terrible earthquake shook the country of Armenia. Thousands of people died. In one small town right after the earthquake a father rushed to his son’s school, only to find the building flattened.
Many times this father had promised, “No matter what, I’ll be there for you when you need me.” Now it seemed hopeless, but he started removing some of the rubble. Others discouraged him, but he kept working. After 38 long hours of digging, the exhausted man heard a scream from beneath the rubble. It was his son’s voice! Soon the father saw the first of 13 school children who had survived the quake. When the building had collapsed, they had been spared in a tent-like pocket.
This story appeared in the Armenian press and later in the book Chicken Soup for the Soul. But in the Bible we find an even more amazing story about the fulfillment of God’s promise to save us, his children, through Jesus Christ. In Jesus our heavenly Father keeps his promise!
God’s promise to save us is unchanging, and our strength for a daily walk of faith is deeply rooted in that promise. In our reading for today the Bible compares this hope to an anchor. Even when terrible storms of life be¬siege us, we should not fear. Thanks to our anchor, Jesus Christ, our salvation is always firm and secure, for God has promised!
PRAYER
Our heavenly Father, thank you for your firm promise of salvation in Jesus Christ! Make us, your children, worthy of your fatherly promise, as we go about serving you! Amen.
在一九八八年，亚美尼亚发生严重地震，数以千计居民罹难。地震后，一位住在某个小镇的父亲，赶到儿子的学校时，发觉校舍已夷为平地。
这位父亲曾多次向儿子保证：「无论发生什么事情，当你需要我时，我一定会在你身旁的。」当时的情况虽然看来已没有希望，但他仍开始移开其中一些瓦砾。旁人虽劝阻他，他仍然继续下去。经过长达三十八个小时的发掘，这位筋疲力竭的男子终于听到来自废墟的尖叫声，这是他儿子的声音！有十三名学生在地震中幸免于难，这位父亲很快便见到第一个生还者出来。原来当校舍倒塌时，里面一个像帐幕的空间掩护了他们。
这个故事刊登在亚美尼亚报章上，后来又在心灵鸡汤这本书中出现。然而，我们可在圣经里找到另一个更奇妙的故事，这个故事讲述神如何藉耶稣基督成就了拯救祂子民的应许，而我们就是祂的子民，借着耶稣，我们天上的父履行了祂的应许！
神永不会改变祂拯救我们的应许，而我们有力量每天走信心之路，完全都是因为有这个应许。在今天的经文中，圣经用锚来比喻这个指望，纵然生命遭受风浪围困，我们仍不用恐慌。感谢耶稣基督，祂是我们的锚，我们的救恩必定坚固牢靠，因为这是神的应许！
祷告
我们的天父，祢赐我们不变的应许，藉耶稣基督拯救我们，我们感谢祢！我们是祢的儿女，在我们事奉祢时，求祢叫我们配得父亲的应许！阿们。