The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. —Job 42:12
Spring is the time of year when God reminds us that things are not always as they seem. Over the course of a few short weeks, what appears hopelessly dead comes to life. Bleak woodlands are transformed into colorful landscapes. Trees whose naked arms reached to heaven all winter, as if pleading to be clothed, suddenly are adorned with lacy green gowns. Flowers that faded and fell to the ground in surrender to the cold rise slowly from the earth in defiance of death.
In Scripture, we read about some apparently hopeless situations. One example is that of a wealthy man named Job whom God described as having integrity (Job 2:3). Disaster struck and Job lost everything important to him. In misery, he said, “My days are . . . spent without hope” (7:6). What appeared to Job and his friends as evidence that God had turned against him was just the opposite. God was so confident of Job’s integrity that He trusted him in this battle with Satan. Later, Job’s hope and life were renewed.
The faithful arrival of spring every year comforts me when I’m in a situation that seems hopeless. With God, there is no such thing. No matter how bleak the landscape of life may look, God can transform it into a glorious garden of color and fragrance.
For greater trust in all we do,
For hope that never knows defeat,
For victory at Thy mercy seat. —Brandt
每當春回大地，萬象更新時，上帝都提醒我們，事情總是有轉機的。在短短的幾個星期裡，原先是毫無盼望的死寂，轉變為盎然的生機。荒涼的林地變為繽紛的景色。樹木光禿的枝幹，在整個寒冬直挺挺指向天空，彷彿正在祈求誰來為它增添衣裳，霎時間也穿上華麗的綠色外袍。因嚴寒而枯萎凋零的花朵，也慢慢從地裡甦醒，傲視死亡。
在聖經裡，我們也曾讀到一些毫無盼望的景況。其中一個例子，就是一位名叫約伯的財主，上帝稱他為完全正直（約伯記2章3節）。然而，災難突然臨到，約伯在瞬間失去了所有生命中寶貴的事物。在苦難中，他說：「我的日子比梭更快，都消耗在無指望之中」（約伯記7章6節）。在約伯和他的朋友看來，這是上帝攻擊約伯的證據。但這正好與事實相反，上帝對約伯的正直有極大的信心，在這場與撒但的爭戰中，祂相信約伯。在此之後，約伯的盼望和生命得到了更新。
每當我在看似絕望的處境中，想到春天總會如期到來，使我深得安慰。在上帝的手中，沒有絕望這回事。不管生命多麼荒涼，上帝可以將它轉變為燦爛芬芳的璀璨花園。JAL
