老鷹的故事

全美目前震驚於這難以置信的慘劇。維吉尼亞理工學院的一名學生，在自殺前殺害了其他32名學生或教職員。我們應當儘可能付出我們的禱告，與其他各樣的支持，來幫助因這場無預警災難受害的親友們。

讓我們不再是去責怪我們的公僕，而是多給予他們鼓勵與感謝。感謝他們平日的辛勞，也要尊敬他們（羅馬書13：7）。這是公義的，也是我們的主所深切在意的。

當然，美國並未遭遇更多的恐怖襲擊，這要歸功於我們的主回應了祂子民的禱告。當然，我們的主或祂的子民也並沒有因此而得著稱讚。即便如此，我們也不是為著要得功勞而禱告。主更是因著愛我們而做的，然而祂卻常在慘劇發生時被責難。我們實在需要學習感謝，而不是一直抱怨。詩篇100：4-5說，當我們感謝主所做的一切，就進入了祂的同在當中。在這事件中，人們會問：這事為什麼會發生？我們可以確定的是，這事件的發生不是出於神的旨意。若我們沒有容許這事件發生，主也必不會容許它發生。詩篇115：16提到：「天，是耶和華的天；地，祂卻給了世人。」神將地上的權柄給了人們。事件發生是因我們容許它發生。因此，我們必須為著神的介入來禱告。

所有基督的信徒都被呼召成為祭司，為他人代求。我們確實有責任為我們所愛的人們來禱告。這也含括了我們的鄰舍。每位基督徒都當為自己所在的區域，或城市的學校禱告。現在我們都當為維科來代禱。這絕對會帶出不同的結果。關於維吉尼亞科技大學的慘劇，我們要迫切地禱告，求保惠師介入每一個死傷者家屬和朋友的生命中來安慰他們。

禱告主使咒詛成為祝福，叫惡者的惡謀不能得逞。惡者想要藉此來做出更邪惡的事，祈求主帶領我們預防。

撒但又名別西卜（太3：22-27），意思是蒼蠅王。在異象異夢中，蒼蠅代表謊言。撒但也是「說謊之人的父」（約：:44）。謊言是魔鬼使用的最基本武器，主要是製造分裂、毀壞、和殺害。戰場上，一個值得注意的景象是，因著傷口的緣故蒼蠅會成群湧入戰場。同樣地，謊言也會湧入屬靈的傷口，帶來感染，傳播病菌，特別是當牠們剛從一個死去的屍體來到，那將會帶來最致命的細菌。主耶穌在講論時，經常使用隱喻，而所用的隱喻必定都與事實相關且正確無誤。撒但會被稱為「蒼蠅王」，其實是真實地描述了牠如何差派謊言聚集在傷口上。

從教會分裂到國家性的慘劇，撒但藉著差派謊言造成更大的毀壞，帶來屬靈的感染，使傷口惡化，也使之更為致命。

去年，先知鮑伯‧瓊斯（Bob Jones）領受神的話語說：「『龍的蒼蠅』（dragon-flies，直譯）即將從地獄被釋放出來。這些是大的、更有威力的謊言，是從龍本身出來的。以賽亞書59：19已提到神的應許：「仇敵好像急流的河水沖來，是耶和華之氣所驅逐的（英文的意思是：神會揚起旗幟來抵擋牠）。」因此，我們可以期待神會釋放偉大的真理，有能力地抵擋魔鬼任何的謊言。這就是我們要開始禱告的：真理的力量勝過每一個謊言。

如同哥倫拜校園慘劇、911等事件，維科校園的慘劇是另一個可怕的傷口。美國在911後，謊言像戰場的子彈亂飛。各方都面對指責，感染後果，造成反恐戰爭成了兩黨的戰爭，以致無法合一向外贏得戰爭。這些感染仍延續至今。

受傷的人常會責難攻擊別人。維科校園慘劇後，指責的聲音迅速指向校方。我們可以預料魔鬼會使用大量的謊言，帶來更多的感染，並造成更多的傷害。然而，基督徒可以幫忙止住這樣的事。我們要如何做呢？

首先，我們要為那些因這事而心理受創傷的人禱告：那些失去心愛的人，或是本身受到傷害的，還有學校其他的學生和教職員，特別是那些親眼目睹這場屠殺的人。創傷給地獄打開大門，讓恐懼、憂鬱、其他疾病的軛進入人的生命中，以致壓制他們的餘生。這些靈裡的感染，是謊言帶來的後果，像是有人會毫無來由地開始懼怕其他人或環境。

這種恐懼很可能正在其他美國校園抓住大專學生，或是任何學校裡的學生。牠也會試著抓住家長、學校行政人員、老師，和其他的工人。他們很可能對這樣的情境會反應過度。我們要禱告使這慘劇引發的焦點和精力，能轉化為正面積極的行動，而不是只有反應；並且成為得勝，特別是那些深深受到影響的人。一旦悲痛過去，這事就能引發那些因這事受傷害的人，得著更有意義的生命，因為這衝擊叫他們知道生命是何等寶貴和脆弱。

讓人感到很激勵的是，全美國的大專院校學生開始寄送電子郵件給維吉尼亞理工學院的學生來表達他們的支持，許多人寫到：「他們現在都是Hokies！」 (註：Hokies是維科的球隊隊名)

這就是我們所該有的反應。我承認我的第一個反應是絕對不要考慮維科（因我的女兒就快要選擇就讀哪所大專學校了）。之後，我了解到其實更應該以相反的方式來面對。我要鼓勵女兒認真考慮維科。如果，這個悲劇造成這所好學校的註冊人數下降，那惡者又贏了一場戰爭。現在，因著這場悲劇，可能再沒有地方是比校園更安全的了，而其中最安全的地方可能就是維科。當我們能從這事件學得教訓，對我們的孩子來說，校園就成為更安全的場所。千萬不要讓恐懼來佔據你，或是你的孩子的心靈。

雅各書4：7教導我們要順服神，抵擋魔鬼，魔鬼就會逃跑。魔鬼幾乎都是以恐懼的形式進入。絕不要讓恐懼來掌控你的行動。要抵擋牠，牠就會逃跑。若是我們容許牠以恐懼掌控我們，牠一定會再度攻擊我們。

彼得前書5：6-9也教導我們：

所以，你們要自卑，服在神大能的手下，到了時候祂必叫你們升高。

你們要將一切的憂慮卸給神，因為他顧念你們。

務要謹守，儆醒。因為你們的仇敵魔鬼，如同吼叫的獅子，遍地遊行，尋找可吞吃的人。

你們要用堅固的信心抵擋他……。

我們需要明白魔鬼是真實的，當牠逮著機會就會殺害吞吃，但我們能夠以信心來抵擋牠。恐懼並不能抵擋牠，反而讓牠有機會。如果你是一個學生，或是學生的父母親，不要害怕。切勿讓恐懼來支配你的決定，反倒要讓信心來引導你。

不過，這也帶來一個實際的危機，因為有些人會模仿這樣的行為。要有儆醒的靈，我們需要認清這事並要儆醒不倦。我們面臨著真實的威脅，可是即便如此，我們也不應讓它來掌控我們的生活。恐懼對我們的身心是有害的。讓我們健全合理的做判斷，受警戒，有智慧聰明。這事件能幫助學校對於安全更加警覺，但我們要抵擋偏執狂或妄想狂的發生。

如同諺語所說：「真理是戰爭中第一個受害者。」同樣地，真理也是每一場不幸中的第一個受害者。

我們要禱告真理的靈勝過這個事件，不但帶領在上有權柄者明白真理，並引領他們進入真理，認識神。基督徒常常被批評利用這樣的悲劇來傳遞福音，但耶穌的確是每個問題的答案。表達同情與關懷可以為悲劇中的倖存者，或相關的人帶來一些幫助，但只有神能夠將人們生命中最糟糕的日子完全轉變過來，甚至使它們成為生命中最大的勝利。

而在這事件中的英雄，一名猶太教授李布瑞斯庫（Liviu Librescu）的捨命保護學生具有先知性重要含意。讓我們深深紀念這件事。他是希特勒大屠殺中的倖存者，而他正死於大屠殺紀念日的這一天。他在教室門口捨命擋住殺手，為要使學生們能夠有機會從窗戶逃走。

當記者在以色列採訪他的兒子時，他兒子簡單地回答，他父親不懼怕任何事。 這足可解釋為何學生們說，當他走向門口面對殺手時，看來很鎮定。這使他的學生有機會逃走。他曾面對過人類歷史上最恐怖的事件之一——納粹大屠殺，而這樣的經歷使他好好珍惜且善用生命，也在生命的最後一刻，成為全世界的榜樣。

祈求主讓如此美好的生命榜樣，能成為所有受到這次維科悲劇影響的人們日後生命依循的方向，促使人們帶出更大的決心好好珍惜善用這寶貴的生命。

中文翻譯引用自: http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/jesusloveyou-jesusloveme/article?mid=135&prev=136&next=134

◎原文瀏覽：A Dragon fly 

The nation now sits in stunned disbelief at the tragedy that took place on the Virginia Tech campus when a student killed thirty-two fellow students and faculty before taking his own life. Certainly our prayers and any other kind of support or help that we can give should be going out to the families and friends of those touched by this seemingly senseless disaster. 

Everyone immediately began asking how and why something so terrible happened. This is to be expected and is appropriate. "How" may be easier to answer than "why." Even so, this question must be answered too, and it can be. The families and friends of those affected by this tragedy need to know why this happened for their own comfort, but even more importantly, these questions need to be answered so that tragedies like this can be prevented from happening again.

Of course, everyone would like to prevent another one of these tragedies from happening, but can that be done? It can. No one thought that the U.S. could continue as long as we have without another major terrorist attack after 9/11, but we have. This was not just luck.

Much of the credit for our nation not suffering more attacks should be given to the present administration and authorities, such as the intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Such public servants usually get little credit for things going right, but often get much blame if anything goes wrong. While there are times when at least some of the blame toward authorities is merited, we need to give our appreciation to them for the good job that they do. It has been proven that people usually do a much better job with positive motivation than negative. Giving honor to whom honor is due is a biblical command (see Romans 13:7). It is justice and something the Lord cares very deeply about.   

However, the ultimate credit for America not being hit with more devastating terrorist attacks should go to the Lord for answering the prayers of His people to stop them. I do not think He, or His people, will get much credit for this either. Even so, we do not pray in order to get credit for it, and the Lord also does many things He knows few will ever even notice, much less thank Him for. That's because He loves us. Even more than public servants or law enforcement, the Lord gets very little credit for the good that He does, and He almost always gets blamed for tragedies. This is a basic injustice too.

There is another important reason why we should learn to be a thankful people instead of complainers, which is stated in Psalm 100:4-5: "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting, and His faithfulness to all generations." As we thank Him, we enter into His presence. If you want to abide in His presence, learn to be continually thankful. We must do this not only for the Lord, but for all who deserve our thanks.

Another ultimate question is: If the Lord loved the students and professors at Virginia Tech, why did He let this happen? I certainly would not presume to know the complete answer to this question, but I am confident of one thing—though the Lord obviously allowed this to happen, even though He does love them, their families, and friends, we can also be confident that this was not His will, and the Lord would not have allowed this to happen if we had not allowed it. How is that?

Psalm 115:16 states: "The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth He has given to the sons of men." First, this is not to imply that it is anyone's fault specifically for not praying for Virginia Tech, but there is no true authority without responsibility, and God gave authority over the earth to men. What happens is because we allow it. It is because He has delegated authority over this earth to men that we must pray for the Lord's intervention on the earth before He will intervene. 

As all Christians are called to the priesthood, to intercede for others, we do have a responsibility to pray for our loved ones, which is supposed to include our "neighbors." The Christians in every city must pray for the schools in their city or region. We should all be praying for Virginia Tech now. It will make a difference. 

As everyone has been touched by this terrible tragedy, let us not waste the emotions we are feeling, the compassion for the remaining students, faculty, and administration, and families of the victims. First, we need to earnestly pray for the Comforter to intervene and be with all of the families and friends of those killed or wounded. It is right to feel shock and grief, but we should turn these emotions into intercession for those who are personally impacted by this tragedy and are wrestling with this pain in a more difficult way than those of us who are just touched by the news.

We must also pray that what the devil has intended for evil will be turned into good. We may understandably wonder how anything like this could result in good, but it can. First, let us consider how the devil will try to use this for even greater evil, and how we can help prevent that. There is insight into this in Mark 3:22-27:

The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons."

And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan?

"If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

"If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.

"If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished!

"But no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his

property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house" (NAS).

Satan is called "Beelzebul" here, which means "the lord of the flies." In dreams and visions, flies often represent lies. Of course, Satan is also called "the father of lies," and lies are the primary weapon that the devil uses to divide, destroy, and kill. One of the remarkable and interesting descriptions of battle scenes in wars is the loud sound of flies that swarm to the battle scene because of the wounds. Likewise, lies swarm to any place that there are spiritual wounds, and when they land on a wound they can cause infection in it, especially if they have just come from a dead body, one of the most potent germ factories of all.

As the Lord in His prophetic language always uses metaphors which are technically accurate to the truth He is seeking to convey, that Satan is called "lord of the flies" describes how he sends his lies to swarm to wounds. This is why in everything from divisions that arise in churches to national tragedies, he seeks to send flies which will cause even more devastation and bring spiritual infections that make the wounds worse and even more deadly.

Last year, our prophetic friend, Bob Jones, was given a word that dragonflies were about to be released from hell. These were large, far more powerful lies that were from the Dragon himself. When the enemy comes in like a flood, we have the promise that the Lord will raise up a standard against him (see Isaiah 59:19). If this is true, then we can also expect great truths to be released from the Lord with the power to counter any lie of the devil. This is what we must start to pray for—the power of truth to overcome every lie.

The tragedy on the Virginia Tech campus is another terrible wound to our nation, like Columbine and like the attacks of 9/11. After the 9/11 attacks, lies flew like bullets over a battle. Accusations were thrown at everyone, and the infection from that turned the war on terror into a partisan battle at home instead of the unification required to win a war. Even the "bi-partisan" studies on how it happened broke down along party lines into just more conflict and accusations. The infections from that wound continue to spread to this day and have seriously weakened our resolve as a nation to fight, much less win this war.  

It is not unusual for people to lash out when they are hurt or wounded. Even faithful pets will lash out at their beloved owners when they are wounded. However, I was personally surprised by how fast the accusations began to fly on the Virginia Tech campus after this tragedy. We can now expect a swarm of lies to come upon this situation as the devil attempts to further infect it and cause even more damage. However, Christians can help to stop this. How?

First, we need to pray for those who have been psychologically wounded by this situation, either by the loss of a loved one or by being physically wounded, as well as the other students and faculty at the school, especially those who witnessed the carnage. Trauma is one of the biggest gates of hell, or open doors for hell, to enter a person's life with yokes of fear, depression, and other maladies which could oppress them the rest of their lives. These are spiritual infections which are the result of lies, such as someone starting to become irrationally fearful of other people or situations.

This kind of fear is probably now gripping other college students across the country, as well as students at any school. It is likewise trying to get a grip on parents, as well as school administrators, teachers, and other workers. There will be an almost irresistible tendency on the part of all to overreact to this situation. We need to pray for the focus and energy caused by this tragedy to be turned into positive action, not just reaction, becoming a victory, especially for those most closely affected by it. Once the grieving is over, this can inspire all who were touched by it to have a more meaningful life, because of the impact to impart just how precious and fragile life is.

It was encouraging for all of the college students around the country to start emailing students at Virginia Tech with their support, many saying, "We're all Hokies now." This is the way we should react. I confess that my first thought about my daughter, who will soon be choosing a college, was to feel that there was no way she would now consider Virginia Tech—then I knew this was the opposite of the way we should react to this. I am going to encourage her to seriously consider Virginia Tech now. If this tragedy causes the registrations of this great school to go down, then the devil has won another victory. 

Right now, and because of this tragedy, there are probably few places safer than a college campus, and the safest of all is probably Virginia Tech. Campuses will more than likely become even safer for our children when the lessons learned from this can be applied. Do not let fear control you or your children. As we are commanded in James 4:7: "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." The devil almost always comes in the form of fear. Do not let fear control your actions, but resist it and he will flee. If we allow him to control us with fear, then he will certainly hit us again.

As we are told in I Peter 5:6-9:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,

casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

But resist him, firm in your faith…

We must acknowledge that there is a real devil and that he will kill and devour if he gets a chance, but we can resist him with our faith. Fear does not resist him, but gives him an opportunity. If you are a student, or the parent of a student, resolve to live by faith, not by fear. Do not let fear dictate your decisions, but be guided by faith.

There is one danger that is real right now, and that is copycat killers. To be of "sober spirit" is to acknowledge this and be watchful. This is a real threat, and even though we should not let it control our lives, we must find the place between being controlled by unhealthy fears and using sound judgment, being vigilant, and being wise. This event should help all schools become more security conscious, but we must resist paranoia.

As has been said, "Truth is the first casualty of war," but it is the first casualty in almost every disaster as well. We need to also pray for the Spirit of Truth to prevail over this scene to both lead authorities to the truth, and to The Truth, Himself. Christians are often criticized for using such tragedies as opportunities for evangelism, but Jesus Christ is the answer to every human problem. Sympathy and care expressed do help the survivors of a tragedy, but only the Lord can turn what must be the worst day of their lives into something truly positive, and an even greater victory for life.

We must not let the prophetic significance of the heroism of Professor Liviu Librescu escape us either. He was a Holocaust survivor who died on Holocaust Remembrance Day, giving his own life to block the door to the killer so that his students could escape through the windows. When his son in Israel was being interviewed, he said simply that his father did not fear anything, which explains why the students said he seemed very calm when he walked to the door to face the killer so his students could get away. This man faced one of the worst horrors in human history, the Holocaust, using the experience to live well and die well. Pray that his example will be the way that all who have been touched by this tragedy at Virginia Tech react to it, with a greater resolve to live well.

A Personal Note From Rick

No one is likely to pass through this life without being touched by tragedy. It must be our Christian resolve to see every tragedy, as much as possible, turned into victories and not defeats. The way the body of Christ responded to the Katrina Disaster was remarkable, and is one of the most inspiring stories of our time. However, our neighbor's Katrina could come at the next stoplight, or from the news about their children from an event like that which took place at Virginia Tech. Christians need to be equipped to take action in any situation like this for the time to come.

Christians have been given the Comforter, who is also the Helper, for times such as these. However, most need some training in how to be proactive in the midst of a disaster or tragedy, and credentials to get them in to the place where they can help. We are providing such training several times a year at Heritage. This includes training to be a certified Chaplain, CISM training (Crisis Intervention and Stress Management), as well as other government recognized training, to help you not only know what to do in a crisis, but what not to do. Every pastor needs this training, as well as home group leaders and any who want to be used positively in a crisis situation.