The Whispering Gallery 耳语廊
Dexu Xia
The Whispering Gallery
In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help.Psalm 18:6
In the towering dome of London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral, visitors can climb 259 steps to access The Whispering Gallery. There you can whisper and be heard by another person anywhere along the circular walkway, even across the enormous abyss nearly one hundred feet away. Engineers explain this anomaly as a result of the spherical shape of the dome and the low intensity sound waves of a whisper.
How we long to be confident that God hears our agonized whispers! The Psalms are filled with testimonies that He hears us—our cries, prayers, and whispers. David writes, “In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help” (Psalm 18:6). Over and over again, he and other psalmists plead, “Hear my prayer” (4:1), my voice (5:3), my groans (102:20). Sometimes the expression is more of a whispered, “Hear me” (77:1), where the “heart meditated and [the] spirit asked” (77:6).
In answer to these pleas, the psalmists—like David in Psalm 18:6—reveal that God is listening: “From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.” Since the actual temple wasn’t yet built, might David have been referring to God listening in His heavenly dwelling?
From His very own “whispering gallery” in the dome of the heavens above the earth, God bends to our deepest murmurs, even our whispers . . . and listens.
What do you long to whisper to God today? How can you know that He hears?
Dear God, give me courage to whisper to You today, trusting You to hear and respond.
耳语廊
我在急难中求告耶和华，向我的上帝呼求。—诗篇18篇6节
在伦敦圣保罗大教堂高耸的穹顶，旅客可以爬259阶上到“耳语廊”。在那个环形走道上，即使你低声耳语，另一个人无论距离多远都能听见，甚至在相隔30公尺之远的另一端，也听得清清楚楚。工程师解释说，这个特殊的现象是由于穹顶半球状的造型，再加上耳语产生的低沉音波所造成的。
我们何等渴望确信上帝听到我们痛苦的低声细语！诗篇记载许多见证，表明上帝会垂听我们的呼求、祈祷和喃喃低语。大卫写道：“我在急难中求告耶和华，向我的上帝呼求”（诗篇18篇6节）。大卫和其他诗人一次次地祈求上帝“听我的祷告”（4篇1节）、声音（5篇3节），以及叹息（102篇20节）。但有时，我们的心默想，我们的灵仔细省察（77篇6节），所能表达的只是轻声地说：“听我。”（1节）
对于这些呼求是否会得着回应，大卫与许多诗人都明确指出，上帝必然垂听。在18篇6节，大卫说：“祂从殿中听了我的声音，我在祂面前的呼求入了祂的耳中。”由于那时还没有圣殿，大卫是否意指上帝会从祂天上的居所聆听呢？
你可以想像，这时上帝正从祂专属、位于全地之上至高穹顶的“耳语廊”，对于我们内心深处的呢喃，甚至是低声耳语⋯⋯祂都俯身垂听。
你今天想跟上帝说什么悄悄话？你如何知道祂会倾听？
亲爱的上帝，求祢赐给我勇气，无论什么事都能轻声对祢说，并深信祢必聆听与回应。