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Manna issue 81 - Be Thou My Vision 成為我願景 (讚美詩452首 我願常見你)

Keeping God and His word as our
vision in times of uncertainty.

在諸多不確定的時候，把神和祂的話放在我們眼前

Rachel Chan—Sunderland, UK

英國山打崙 Rachel Chan

Around the beginning of 2015, I
started to become anxious. I was in
my final year of university, and I was
worried about my university work, my
career, and my future prospects. I felt
a loss of direction, and I lacked selfconfidence.
At the same time, all my
project ideas seemed to lead to a dead
end. I was reading a design course,
where the course options I took would
determine the direction of the work I
produced—yet there was no syllabus
or set course modules to guide me. I
knew that, being in my final year, I
had to progress quickly, and the
absence of course structure, coupled
with the passing of time, added to my
anxieties.

大約在2015年初的時候，我開始變得很憂慮。
那時是我大學的最後一年，
我煩腦著大學的功課，職業，及未來的發展前景。
我覺得失去方向，沒有自信。
同一個時間，我所有專案的想法，
似乎都走到了死路。
我讀的是設計科系，
我的選課，將會決定我產出成果的方向-
然而，卻沒有標準課程，或是固定課程學習方向可以引導我。
我很了解，已經到了最後一年，
就要很快有所進展，
因為沒有課程架構的關係，
隨著時間的逐漸消逝，
讓我的煩腦逐漸的增加。

DO I TRULY BELIEVE? 我真的信嗎？

One night, I felt extremely restless
and dejected as I pondered over my
troubles. I couldn't sleep. All my life,
God had led me out of every difficult
situation I had ever faced. But yet, I
still had so much doubt and fear in my
heart. This made me feel so ashamed.
I decided to pray. A little while later, a
hymn came to mind—it is called
“Lord, I believe.” I had learned this
hymn as a first year student at the
youth theological training course
(YTTC), some four years before. I
hadn't thought about this hymn for a
long while, but the lyrics really
reflected how I was feeling at the
time. So that night, I sang this hymn
as a prayer to God:

有一天晚上，當我想到自已的困難時，
就覺得極度的不安和沮喪。
我睡不著。
我整個一生，神都帶領我走出每一個我所面對到的困難。
同時，在我心中，仍有很多的懷疑和恐懼。
這讓我感覺很不好意思。
我決定禱告。
禱告一會兒之後，就想到了一首詩 - 
讚美詩歌名是 "主，我相信"。
當我在青年神學訓練班(YTTC)的第一年，
就有學過這首詩，已經是四年之前了。
已經有很久一段時間，我沒有想過這首詩了，
但是歌詩真正對當時我的感覺很貼切。
所以那天晚上，我唱這首詩，當成向神禱告：

Lord I believe, but help my unbelief;
I know You provide everything that I
need.
But O Lord, I am weak and my mind
wanders far from You,
O help me Lord, stretch out Your
hand,
Help me from the mire!
主阿我信，但我信不足，請幫我；
我知道你已經預備了我需要的任何事。
但主啊，我很軟弱，我的想法常常遠離了你。
主啊，請幫我，伸出你的手，
幫助我脫離這泥沼。

Though the figs don't bud;
And there's no grapes on the vine.
Though the olive crop fail;
And there's no yield on the field.
No sheep in the pen;
Nor cattle in the stall,
I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in
my God.

雖然無花果不結果；
而且也沒有葡萄在樹上。
雖然橄欖從樹下掉了下來；
而田裡也沒有任何產出。
羊圈裡面沒有羊；
棚裡沒有家畜，
我會在主裡喜樂，我會因著我的神而歡欣。

DO I SEE GOD AS MY VISION? 我的眼前真的有看見神嗎？

The morning came and I had already
forgotten the night before. During
this time, the church was preparing
for a praise worship event. One of the
hymns chosen by the choir was an
arrangement of the hymn "Be Thou
My Vision." During our night-time
fellowships, we had been discussing
the meaning of this hymn, and how it
is almost impossible to grasp the true
depths of the lyrics if we haven't really
made God our vision.

隔天早上，我已經忘了前晚的事。
在這時，教會正準備詩歌佈道會。
由詩班選擇的其中一首讚美詩，
就是"我願常見你"。
在我們晚間聚會的時候，
我們有討論過這首詩的意思，
若我們沒有真的想要常常見神，
幾手就不可能可以掌握歌詞裡面深含的意思。

So that morning, I decided to look
up the word "vision" and search for
examples in the Bible. The Oxford
Dictionary had two definitions for
“vision”:

所以那天早上，我決定要查一下"vision"這個字的意思，
並且搜尋一下聖經裡面所使用的例子。
牛津字典裡面，對“vision”有兩個定欺：

1) The faculty or state of being able
to see.

1) 讓自已可以看見的能力或狀態。

2) The ability to think about or plan
the future with imagination or
wisdom.

2) 有能力用想像力或智慧，來思考未來或規劃未來。

When I referred to the Bible for
examples, I found Habakkuk. I had
not made a decent effort to study this
book before, so I decided to rectify
this and read the whole book, which
is only three chapters long. I truly
thank God, it is a beautiful book, and
I felt very blessed after reading it. It
records the dialogue between God
and the prophet during a period of
darkness for the people of God.
Prophet Habakkuk had questions—
there were many things he didn't
understand and he feared for the
people. He saw that wickedness was
prevailing and he wanted to know
why God was not taking action, why
He was allowing the wicked to go
free. It may seem that Habakkuk
lacked faith and was murmuring
against God, but at the end of his
second speech, he explained:

當我去查聖經的例子，我找到哈巴谷書。
從以前到現在，我從來沒有花過任何力氣來查考這卷聖經，
所以我決定要改善這一點，好好讀完這卷聖經，
雖然這卷聖經只有短短三章而已。
我真的感謝神，哈巴谷書很潛好，
讀完之後，我感到很受祝福。
這卷聖經，為了神的子民在黑暗時期，
記載了神和先知的對話。
哈巴谷先知有疑問 - 因著百姓
有許多事情他不了解，也害怕很多事情。
他看到邪惡得到勝利，他想要知道神為何不採取行動，
為何他允許惡人可以沒事。
這看起來好像是，哈巴谷書沒有信心，一直再向神抱怨，
但在他第二次講話結束之時，作了解釋：

I will stand my watch
And set myself on the rampart,
And watch to see what He will say
to me,
And what I will answer when I am
corrected. (Hab 2:1)

2我要站在守望所，立在望樓上觀看，
看耶和華對我說甚麼話，我可用甚麼話向他訴冤
（向他訴冤：或譯回答所疑問的）。
(哈 2：1)

Habakkuk was waiting for God's
reply; he believed in God and knew
he would be corrected. He boldly
brought his fears before God and
diligently waited for His word. These
actions struck my heart and caused
me to reflect.

哈巴谷一直等候神的回答；
他相信神，知道他會有所改革。
他大膽把自已的恐懼放在神面前，
一直等待祂的回答。
這些行為給我內心很大的衝擊，
讓我好好反省一下。

WE CANNOT SEE GOD’S PLAN,
BUT THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY
FAITH

我們看不到神的計劃，
但公義之人卻得因信存活

God then replied to him, saying: 然後神回答他說：

“Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed
time;
But at the end it will speak, and it
will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry.
Behold the proud,
His soul is not upright in him;
But the just shall live by his faith”
(Hab 2:2–4)

2他對我說：將這默示明明地寫在版上，
使讀的人容易讀（或譯：隨跑隨讀）。
3因為這默示有一定的日期，快要應驗，並不虛謊。
雖然遲延，還要等候；因為必然臨到，不再遲延。
4迦勒底人自高自大，心不正直；惟義人因信得生。
(哈 2：2-4)

God gave Habakkuk a vision. This
vision was the spoken word of God,
which was to be written on tablets:
words of warning and authority. God
told Habakkuk that the vision was for
an appointed time in the future, and
instructed him to wait. Even if it
seemed to be delayed, this vision
would surely come. So whatever fears
or doubts Habakkuk felt, or whenever
the people questioned God, they
could see these tablets—plainly
written, solid, and standing alone.
This is how God reminded them that
He is the Almighty God: judgment is
His, and His plan is above all. Even
though the dire situation persisted,
and evil continued to prevail,
Habakkuk could trust in God's vision
and live by faith.

神給哈巴谷先知看到願景。
這個願景就是神說的話，寫在了石板上；
有警告的話，是帶著權柄的。
神告訴哈巴谷先知，
這個願景說的是未來一個特定的時間，
並且指示他要等待下去。
即使看起來好像有所拖遲，這個願景一定實現。
所以無論哈巴谷先知有什麼恐懼和疑惑，
或是無論何時人民在質疑神的時候，
他們可以看看這些石板 -
簡單明白的寫下來，神的話堅定，永遠成就。
這就是神提醒他們的方式，
祂是全能的神：
審判來自於祂，祂的計劃超乎萬有。
即使這種淒慘的情況一直持續著，邪惡一直勝利，
哈巴谷可以信靠神的願景，因著信活下去。

GOD QUIETLY REVEALS HIMSELF 神靜靜的顯明自已

Finally, at the end of the book,
Habakkuk concludes with a hymn of
faith:

最後，在哈巴谷書的結尾，
用一道信心的讚美詩來作結論：

Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may
fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from
the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my
high hills." (Hab 3:17–19)

17雖然無花果樹不發旺，葡萄樹不結果，橄欖樹也不效力，
田地不出糧食，圈中絕了羊，棚內也沒有牛；
18然而，我要因耶和華歡欣，因救我的神喜樂。
19主耶和華是我的力量；他使我的腳快如母鹿的蹄，
又使我穩行在高處。這歌交與伶長，用絲弦的樂器。
(哈 3：17-19)

The lyrics of the hymn "Lord, I
believe" are based on this passage.
When I read this Scripture, my mind
journeyed back to the night before,
and the heaviness I had harbored in
my heart. From that moment, the
impossibly heavy burden I had carried
suddenly became miraculously light. I
truly felt the presence of God so close
to me. I knew that God had heard my
prayer, made in weakness. I
wholeheartedly thank God for His
guidance, for who could imagine that
two hymns and the Book of Habakkuk
could link together and resonate
within me in the very moment I
needed it. The still, small voice of God
is, for me, the sweetest thing. This
confirms to me that the God whom I
worship is the true and living God,
and that His word is living and true.

讚美詩"主，我相信"的歌詞，
是基於這段經文。
當我讀到這卷經文的時候，
我的腦中回到了之前的晚上，
想到了藏在我心中的那些沉重的負擔。
從那個時刻起，心中所負那難以置信的重擔就突然神奇地變輕省了許多。
我真的感覺到，神的同在是那麼的靠近著我。
我知道神垂聽了我的禱告，在軟弱上幫助我。
我衷心感謝神的帶領，
不然誰想得到，這二首詩和哈巴谷書可以連結在一起，
正在我需要的那個時刻在我內心產生共嗚。
那安靜，神的微小聲音，對我而言，是非常甜蜜的事。
這讓我有信心，我敬拜的神是真神，是有靈的活神，
祂的話語永遠活著，是真實的。

WHEN THE FUTURE IS UNCLEAR,
LOOK TO GOD

不清楚未來的時候，就要仰望神

At times, we may not understand why
certain events unfold the way they
do, or we may feel anxious that we
don’t know what tomorrow holds.
When we feel this way, we should
bring it before God and diligently seek
Him. If we truly seek God and
earnestly wait for His reply, God will
answer. God has promised the most
wonderful things, and only in these
do we have hope. Just like in the Book
of Habakkuk, the word of God is our
vision, plainly written in the Bible, as
an anchor for us to hold on to. We
must take the word of God and live
by it—make it our hope—for the
things that God has spoken will surely
come to pass.

有時候，我們或許不明白為何某些事情是這麼展開的，
或是我們或許會覺得很煩惱，不知道明天會發生什麼事。
當我們這麼覺得的時候，就要把這件事放在神面前，
殷勤的尋求神。
若我們真的尋求神，誠心等候祂的答案，神會回應的。
神已經應許我們最美好的事物，
而且我們只對這些事有盼望。
就如在哈巴谷書裡，神的話語就是我們的願景，
簡單明白的寫在聖經裡，
就好像錨一樣，可以讓我們堅守抓住。
我們一定要接受神的話語，遵守神的話語而活 - 
把神的話語當作是我們的盼望 -
因為神所說的一切事情，是一定會成就的。

The meaning of the word “vision”
is to see or plan for the future ahead.
God, in His wisdom, has already
planned the future, therefore we do
not need to rely on ourselves—we
only need to look to God. If we are
willing to receive God and His word as
our vision, then we will surely be able
to sing a hymn of faith, as Habakkuk
did. Whatever situation arises, we will
be able to proclaim, "Yet I will rejoice
in the Lord."

"願景"這個字的意思，就是去看，
或是未來的規劃。
在神的智慧中，神已經規劃的未來，
所以我們不必要依靠自已 -
我們只需要去仰望神。
若我們願意接納神和祂的話語，成為我們的願景，
那麼我們就一定可以唱出信心的讚美詩，
就像哈巴谷先知一樣。
不論遇到什麼樣子的情況，
我們會能夠大聲說出，
"是的我會在主裡喜樂"。

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