Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading. Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest.

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:18

I grew up in the rebellious 1960s and turned my back on religion. I had attended church all my life but didn’t come to faith until my early twenties after a terrible accident. Since that time, I have spent my adult years telling others of Jesus’s love for us. It has been a journey.

Certainly “a journey” describes life in this broken world. On the way we encounter mountains and valleys, rivers and plains, crowded highways and lonely roads—highs and lows, joys and sorrows, conflict and loss, heartache and solitude. We can’t see the road ahead, so we must take it as it comes, not as we wish it would be.

The follower of Christ, however, never faces this journey alone. The Scriptures remind us of the constant presence of God. There is nowhere we can go that He is not there (Ps. 139:7–12). He will never leave us or forsake us (Deut. 31:6; Heb. 13:5). Jesus, after promising to send the Holy Spirit, told His disciples, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18).

The challenges and opportunities we face on our journey can be met confidently, for God has promised us His never-failing presence.  

Loving Lord, thank You that You not only know the path I take, You walk it with me. Help me to rely on Your presence, help, and wisdom every day of my journey through life.

信心是从来不知道要往哪里去，却知道且深爱领路的那一位。–章伯斯

我不撇下你们为孤儿，我必到你们这里来。-约翰福音14章18节

我成长于叛逆的六十年代，曾经背弃信仰。我从小就开始上教会，但直到二十多岁遇上一次惨痛的意外之后，才真正认识耶稣。自从那时候起，我就将所有的岁月用来传讲耶稣对人们的爱，这就是我的人生旅程。

在这破碎的世界，用“旅程”一词来描述人生，实在很贴切。沿路上，我们会遇到高山与低谷、江河与平原、拥挤难行的公路与人迹罕至的道路，经历高峰与低谷、喜乐与悲伤、冲突与失落、心痛与孤寂。我们无法看见未来的路程，前景也未必如我们所愿，因此不同的景况来临时，我们只能默默承受。

然而，基督的跟随者不必独自面对人生旅程中的景况。圣经提醒我们，上帝永远与我们同在：无论我们往何处去，祂都在那里（诗篇139篇7-12节） ；祂绝不离弃我们，也不撇下我们（申命记31章6节；希伯来书13章5节） ；耶稣应许赐下圣灵之后，对祂的门徒说：“我不撇下你们为孤儿，我必到你们这里来。”（约翰福音14章18节）

我们可以满有信心地面对人生旅途中的挑战和机会，因为上帝已经应许我们，祂必永远与我们同在。

慈爱的主，感谢祢。因祢不只知道我所走的道路，
祢还一路伴我同行。帮助我在每一天的旅程中，
都能倚靠祢的同在、帮助和智慧。 

John 14:15-21New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[a] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

整理：于姊妹