Psalm 40
I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord;
我耐心而期待地等候耶和华；

And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
祂就侧耳垂听我的呼求。

He brought me up out of a horrible pit [of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay,
祂从毁灭的泥坑、从淤泥中把我拉上来，

And He set my feet upon a rock, steadying my footsteps and establishing my path.
祂使我的脚立在磐石上，稳固我的脚步，建立我的道路。

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
祂使新歌放在我口中，是赞美我们神的诗歌；

Many will see and fear [with great reverence]
许多人将看见而敬畏，

And will trust confidently in the Lord.
并要信靠耶和华。

PULLED OUT OF THE PIT
从坑中被拉出来

I have said in previous chapters, that I was a churchgoer, and so I was, but not because I wanted to, but because I was forced to.
我在前面的章节中说过，我是一个经常去教会的人，确实如此，但不是因为我想去，而是因为我被迫去的。

We got prizes for going, I still have a book with photos of the UK gives as Sunday school prize in 1971, all I was interested in was getting things, it was all about Me and I.
我们去教会会有奖品，我至今还留着一本1971年主日学奖品——一本有英国照片的书，我当时只对得到东西感兴趣，一切都围绕着“我”和“我的”。

Arriving in class 4s I looked around and wondered who I could upset first, the lucky person was a rather stout boy who sat by the window, often I could be found by his desk teasing and tormenting him, and he was more religious than me, he went to church youth groups on Friday night, Saturday night and church twice on Sunday, talk about fanatical, you need to get yourself a life Andrew!.
到了四年级，我环顾四周，想着先惹谁生气最合适，幸运的那个人是一个相当胖的男孩，他坐在窗户边，我经常在他桌旁嘲弄和折磨他，而他比我更虔诚，周五晚上、周六晚上参加教会青年团契，周日还去两次教会，真是狂热，你得给自己找点生活啊，安德鲁！

So he became the butt of all my anger, I punched him, pulled his hair and did other really bad things, hit out and shouted at him and yet, no response.
于是他成了我所有愤怒的出气筒，我打他、扯他头发，做各种很坏的事，对他拳打脚踢、大喊大叫，然而，他毫无反应。

Everyone else responded, but not him, what is up with this guy?
其他人都会有反应，但唯独他没有，这家伙是怎么回事？

Our class became 5s and yes we were in the same class.. how annoying.
我们班升到五年级，是的，我们还在同一个班……真烦人。

Mr Scott said to Andrew, you will never get Keith to become a Christian, how wrong he was!
斯科特先生对安德鲁说，你永远不可能让基思成为基督徒，他错得有多离谱！

He was getting under my skin, he started to invite me to meetings on Saturday night, are you joking…I would rather cut my toe nails.. with a hacksaw!.
他开始让我感到不舒服，他开始邀请我参加周六晚上的聚会，你开玩笑吧……我宁愿用钢锯剪脚趾甲！

He’s at it again, come on Saturday Night, I’ll pick you up at the bus station, oh ok, anything to shut him up.
他又来了，周六晚上来吧，我会在巴士站接你，哦好吧，只要让他闭嘴什么都行。

So on this Saturday night, I was let out of the house, my parents should of known better, so off I went.
于是那个周六晚上，我被允许出门，我父母本该知道更好的，但我就这么走了。

We met up and went up to Moorlands gospel hall, the place was packed, what’s happening, all these religious nutters.
我们碰头后去了 Moorlands 福音堂，那地方挤满了人，发生什么事了，所有这些宗教疯子。

So we started the meeting, hymns were sung, some people stood up and said how Jesus had changed their life, Good for them, but it went over my head.
聚会开始了，唱诗歌，有些人站起来分享耶稣如何改变他们的生命，好吧，对他们好，但这些对我毫无意义。

The preacher stood up, Victor Jack from Suffolk, he spoke about what would happen if Jesus came back tonight, I remember being a little scared, I had not heard anything like this, he talked of Jesus being the only answer, at the end he said I’m going into a side room, if anyone wants to come and talk to me, knock on that door.
传道人站起来，是来自萨福克的维克多·杰克，他讲如果耶稣今晚回来会怎样，我记得自己有点害怕，我从未听过这样的话，他说耶稣是唯一的答案，最后他说我要去旁边的房间，如果有人想来和我谈，就敲那扇门。

All I remember is closing my eyes and it was a curtain going up, my eyes had been opened, I turned to Andrew and said “I’m going into that room”, his jaw dropped, we arrived just before someone else did, if they had got their first, I wouldn’t of gone through with it, but I was ushered in, Victor took my through the book Journey into life by Norman warren, I said the prayer at the end and meant it, I remember going home and blurted out to my parents “I’ve become a Christian”, my fathers retort was “you should of been home earlier”.
我只记得闭上眼睛，就像幕布被拉开，我的眼睛被打开了，我转向安德鲁说“我要进那个房间”，他下巴都掉了，我们比别人先到，如果别人先到，我可能就不会进去，但我被领进去，维克多带我读了诺曼·沃伦的《生命之旅》，我在结尾说了那个祷告，而且是真心的，我记得回家后冲口而出对父母说“我成为基督徒了”，我父亲的回答是“你早该回家了”。

So life changed on that night, I passed from death to life on that night.
所以在那晚，生命改变了，那晚我从死亡过渡到生命。

Back in 2024, I was able to see my beloved friend Andrew and also to meet Victor again, now 87, he welcomed me and my family into his home and his home church.
回到2024年，我得以再次见到我亲爱的朋友安德鲁，也再次见到维克多，他现在87岁，他欢迎我和我的家人进入他家和他家的教会。

I owe them both a debt, I can never repay, on that night, I was truly PULLED OUT OF THE PIT.
我欠他们两人一份永远无法偿还的债，那晚，我真正地从坑中被拉出来。

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT
灵修思想

Salvation from sin through Christ is a miracle, it cannot be accomplished through our good works or any other man made religion.
通过基督脱离罪的救恩是一个神迹，它无法通过我们的善行或任何人造的宗教来完成。

I should know, I tried.
我应该知道，我尝试过。

Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian, you can sit in Burger king and change your name to Mr A Hamburger, but you aren’ t and can’t be a hamburger.
去教会并不会让你成为基督徒，你可以坐在汉堡王把名字改成汉堡先生，但你不是，也不可能是汉堡。

It is what Christ has done for you on the cross, he brings you to God, he is the saviour, he is the divine substitute, the one who had to die in your place.
关键在于基督在十字架上为你所做的，祂带你到神面前，祂是救主，祂是神圣的替代者，祂必须代替你死的那一位。

I wasn’t good enough to come to God on my own, someone had to take my sin and that one was God’s perfect son Jesus.
我自己不够好，无法靠自己来到神面前，必须有人承担我的罪，那一位就是神完美的儿子耶稣。

As soon as I trusted Him, he made me justified and accepted by God the Father, I was sealed by the precious Holy Spirit, he was the one who opened my eyes and my heart that cold February night, he alone can do that.
我一信靠祂，祂就使我称义，被天父神接纳，我被宝贵的圣灵印上记号，是祂在那寒冷的二月夜晚打开我的眼睛和心，只有祂能做到。

We can witness and share the gospel till we are blue in the face, we can convince people of the existence of God and the reality of the cross and the resurrection, but it is only when the Holy Spirit, opens someone’s eyes and heart can they be saved.
我们可以传福音、分享福音直到脸都蓝了，我们可以说服人相信神的存在、十字架和复活的真实，但只有当圣灵打开一个人的眼睛和心，他们才能得救。

Every true born again believer is a trophy of God’s grace, they have a new heart, a new nature, a new focus.
每一个真正重生的信徒都是神恩典的奖杯，他们有新心、新性情、新焦点。

They are now on the pilgrim road, I thank God, that I am on that pilgrim road.
他们现在走在朝圣的路上，我感谢神，我也走在朝圣的路上。

I am a living walking, talking miracle of God’s grace.
我是一个活着的、行走的、会说话的神恩典的神迹。

Are you?
你是吗？