Joan, Hephzibah,
My LORD Favors Me

 ⁵ Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
       my hope comes from him. 

 ⁸ Trust in him at all times, O people;
       pour out your hearts to him,
       for God is our refuge.  

¹¹ One thing God has spoken,

" ⁴ May he give you the desire of your heart 
       and make all your plans succeed.

 ⁵ We will shout for joy when you are victorious
       and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.
       May the LORD grant all your requests. 

  ⁷ Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
       but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. "

¹³ "You shall not murder.
¹⁴ "You shall not commit adultery.
¹⁵ "You shall not steal.
¹⁶ "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
¹⁷ "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."  

-------- Exodus 20:12~17

³ "You shall have no other gods before me.

⁴ "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.

-------- Exodus 20:3~6

從三月到六月的第二週, 是我近六七年來最低潮的一段日子[1]。孤獨的好像從沒有被認同過, 哭的好像從沒有挫敗過, 憤怒好像從沒有受委屈過, 消沉的好像不曾失去夢想過。而每當試圖振作的時候, 就有新的打擊來到: 包括每一兩週, 老闆就帶來一個新的壞消息與連帶而來沉重的壓力[2], 包括原本的假期不被老闆核准,　包括因此錯過見祖父的最後一面。

於是這些很強烈很飽和的情緒與之前醞釀了半年多的困乏, 很深刻地劃下他們新的鑿痕, 在最近的生命中留下高山縱谷[3]。

^“24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. ²⁵ When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. ²⁶ Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak."
      But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."

²⁷ The man asked him, "What is your name?"  "Jacob," he answered.  ²⁸ Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." “

------ Genesis 32: 24~28

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, I the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

---------- Genesis 1:26~27

"你們不要以外面的辫頭髮, 戴金飾, 穿美衣為裝飾, 只要以裡面存著長久溫柔、 安靜的心為裝飾; 這在 神面前是極為寶貴的。因為古時仰賴神的聖潔婦人正式以此為裝飾, 順服自己的丈夫, 就如撒拉聽從亞伯拉罕, 稱他為主。你們若行善，不因恐嚇而害怕, 便是撒拉的女兒了 。"


"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear."

你們又忘了那勸你們如同勸兒子的話, 說:

"我兒, 你不可輕看主的管教,
被他責備的時候也不可灰心,
因為主所愛的祂必管教,
又鞭打凡所收納的兒子。"

"Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape."

"But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness."

"But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet."

"求我們的主耶穌基督的 神, 榮耀的父,
將那賜人智慧和啟示的靈賞給你們, 使你們真知道他。
並且照明你們心中的眼睛, 使你們知道祂的恩召有何等的指望,
祂在信徒中得的基業有何等豐盛的榮耀,
並知道祂向我們這信的人所顯得能力是何等浩大。”

---------- 以弗所書 1: 17-19

耶和華啊, 你已經鑒察我, 認識我
我坐下, 我起來, 你都曉得, 你從遠處知道我的意念;
我行路, 我躺臥, 你都細察, 你也深知我一切所行的。
耶和華啊，我舌頭上的話, 你沒有一句不知道的。

你在我前後環繞我, 按手在我身上。