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，亞美尼亞發生嚴重地震，數以千計居民罹難。地震後，一位住在某個小鎮的父親，趕到兒子的學校時，發覺校舍已夷為平地。
這位父親曾多次向兒子保證：「無論發生什麼事情，當你需要我時，我一定會在你身旁的。」當時的情況雖然看來已沒有希望，但他仍開始移開其中一些瓦礫。旁人雖勸阻他，他仍然繼續下去。經過長達三十八個小時的發掘，這位筋疲力竭的男子終於聽到來自廢墟的尖叫聲，這是他兒子的聲音！有十三名學生在地震中倖免於難，這位父親很快便見到第一個生還者出來。原來當校舍倒塌時，裏面一個像帳幕的空間掩護了他們。
這個故事刊登在亞美尼亞報章上，後來又在心靈雞湯這本書中出現。然而，我們可在聖經裏找到另一個更奇妙的故事，這個故事講述神如何藉耶穌基督成就了拯救祂子民的應許，而我們就是祂的子民，借著耶穌，我們天上的父履行了祂的應許！
神永不會改變祂拯救我們的應許，而我們有力量每天走信心之路，完全都是因為有這個應許。在今天的經文中，聖經用錨來比喻這個指望，縱然生命遭受風浪圍困，我們仍不用恐慌。感謝耶穌基督，祂是我們的錨，我們的救恩必定堅固牢靠，因為這是神的應許！
禱告
我們的天父，祢賜我們不變的應許，藉耶穌基督拯救我們，我們感謝祢！我們是祢的兒女，在我們事奉祢時，求祢叫我們配得父親的應許！阿們。