Read: 2 Samuel 22:26-37 

It’s not too late to make a fresh start with God. 

与上帝重新开始，现在还不迟。

You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light. 2 Samuel 22:29 

耶和华啊，祢是我的灯，耶和华必照明我的黑暗。-撒母耳记下22章29节

A major theme of the Old Testament book of 2 Samuel could easily be “Life is a mess!” It has all the elements of a blockbuster TV miniseries. As David sought to establish his rule as king of Israel, he faced military challenges, political intrigue, and betrayal by friends and family members. And David himself was certainly not without guilt as his relationship with Bathsheba clearly showed (chs. 11–12). 

旧约撒母耳记下的其中一个主题，可以说：「生命真是一团糟！」其中的记载，包含了电视影集所有扣人心弦的剧情。当时，大卫正想巩固他的以色列王权，却遭逢军事动乱、政治阴谋，以及朋友和儿子的背叛。而从大卫和拔示巴的关系（11-12章），我们也可清楚看到大卫本身也犯了罪。

Yet near the end of 2 Samuel we find David’s song of praise to God for His mercy, love, and deliverance. “You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light” (22:29). 

然而，在撒母耳记下将近尾声时，我们看到一段大卫颂赞上帝的怜悯、慈爱与拯救的诗歌。「耶和华啊，祢是我的灯，耶和华必照明我的黑暗」（22章29节）。

In many of his difficulties, David turned to the Lord. “With your help I can advance against a troop [run through a barricade]; with my God I can scale a wall” (v. 30).

在各样的患难中，大卫都求告上帝，他说：「我藉着祢冲入敌军，藉着我的上帝跳过墙垣。」（30节）

Perhaps we identify with David’s struggles because he, like us, was far from perfect. Yet he knew that God was greater than the most chaotic parts of his life.

或许我们也会面对大卫那样的患难，因为我们和他一样不完美。然而，大卫深知即使自己的人生一团糟，仍可以倚靠凌驾一切的上帝。

With David we can say, “As for God, his way is perfect: the Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him” (v. 31). And that includes us!

我们可以和大卫一同宣告：「至于上帝，祂的道是完全的；耶和华的话，是炼净的。凡投靠祂的，祂便作他们的盾牌」（31节）。是的，祂是我们的盾牌！

Life is messy, but God is greater than the mess.

即使生命一团糟，上帝仍凌驾于一切混乱和纷扰之上。

Prayer 祷告：

Lord, we cannot read about the failures and difficulties of others without being reminded of our own. We bring them all to You, seeking forgiveness and Your power for a fresh start.

主啊，看到有人遭遇失败和患难，让我也能反躬自省，求祢赦免并赐下能力，使我能重新开始。

整理：于姊妹