禱告求神指引
我不知道你是怎麼樣的，可每次當我想靠着自己的想法，不考慮神希望我怎樣做時，我的生活就會變得一團糟。當我做決定時若不尋求神的意見，我所做的事總得花上更長的時間才能完成，或者有時問題會永遠都解決不了。我需要記住這樣一則忠告——“在你一切所行的事上都要認定他，他必指引你的路”(箴言3:6)。我思考着這則忠告，讀到了聖經舊約中關於約書亞的記載，他尋求神的旨意，祈求神讓日月停一段時間（約書亞記10:13)。神答應了他的祈求。這位公義善良的人改變了自然。今天善良人的禱告也可以引起巨大的變化嗎？我覺得神希望我們相信這一點。這一周，我讀到了艾爾弗雷德·丁尼生（Alfred Lord Tennyson）寫的文章，並被它所吸引，文中寫道，“禱告所改變的事情遠比人們想象的要多。” 我在聖經中讀到一個章節，說的是同樣的意思。聖經舊約《歷代志下》第7章14節記載了神賜所羅門智慧時所說的話。神說,“這稱為我名下的子民，若是自卑、禱告，尋求我的面，轉離他們的惡行，我必從天上垂聽，赦免他們的罪，醫治他們的地。”這是怎樣的應許啊！生活中有太多的不確定，我們的生活需要禱告的力量。因此，就在今天，我們做事情時要禱告，想事情時也要禱告，看事情時還要禱告。
作者: Andy Baker
譯者: Wang Jing
播音: Edward Short
Sweet Hour of Prayer / 6
PRAY FOR GOD’S GUIDANCE
I don’t know about you, but I always get my life in a mess when I take out on my own without thinking about what God would want me to do. When I don’t seek out God’s advice for the decisions I make, it always takes longer to get things done and sometimes my problems never get solved. I need to remember the good advice to “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:6). Thinking about this advice, I read in the Bible, in the Old Testament part, of a man by the name of Joshua who sought God’s will and prayed that God might make the sun and moon stand still for awhile (Joshua 10:13). And God did. The prayer of this good and righteous man altered nature. Could the prayer of good people make drastic changes today? I think that’s the point God is trying to get us to believe. I read something this week written by Alfred Lord Tennyson that grabbed my attention. The statement read, “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice rise like a fountain for me night and day.” Then I read a verse in the Bible that taught the same thing. In the Old Testament part of the Bible, 2 Chronicles 7:14 records a statement that God gave to the wise man Solomon. God said, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” What a promise! With all the uncertainties of life, you and I need the power of prayer in our lives. So, just for today, work and pray, think and pray, watch and pray.
Author: Andy Baker
Translator: Wang Jing
Vocal version: Edward Short