Not Rushing Prayer 祷告不匆忙

[Dexu Xia]

Be still, and know that I am God.  Psalm 46:10

Alice Kaholusuna recounts a story of how the Hawaiian people would sit outside their temples for a lengthy amount of time preparing themselves before entering in. Even after entering, they would creep to the altar to offer their prayers. Afterward, they would sit outside again for a long time to “breathe life” into their prayers. When missionaries came to the island, the Hawaiians sometimes considered their prayers odd. The missionaries would stand up, utter a few sentences, call them “prayer,” say amen, and be done with it. The Hawaiians described these prayers as “without breath.”

Alice’s story speaks of how God’s people may not always take the opportunity to “be still, and know” (Psalm 46:10). Make no mistake—God hears our prayers, whether they’re quick or slow. But often the pace of our lives mimics the pace of our hearts, and we need to allow ample time for God to speak into not only our lives but the lives of those around us. How many life-giving moments have we missed by rushing, saying amen, and being done with it?

We’re often impatient with everything from slow people to the slow lane in traffic. Yet, I believe God in His kindness says, “Be still. Breathe in and out. Go slow, and remember that I am God, your refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” To do so is to know that God is God. To do so is to trust. To do so is to live.

Recall a time when you slowed down and listened to God in your prayer time. How did that feel? What actions can you put into place to still yourself in God’s presence and know Him?

Father, thank You for being my ever-present help in good times and bad. Give me the grace to be still and know that You’re God.

 你们要休息，要知道我是上帝！—诗篇46篇10节

夏威夷的基督徒爱丽丝讲了一个故事，谈到夏威夷人在进入庙宇敬拜神祇之前，会先在外面静坐好一段时间以做好预备。进了庙宇，会缓慢爬行到祭坛前祈祷。过后，他们又回到外面静坐很长一段时间，好将“生命气息”吹入他们的祷告。所以当宣教士来到夏威夷时，夏威夷人觉得这些宣教士的祷告很奇怪。宣教士站着说几句话就是在“祷告”，说完“阿们”就结束了。夏威夷人形容这些祷告“没有生命气息”。

爱丽丝的故事或许点出了上帝的子民常忘了“要安静，要知道”（诗篇46篇10节，新普及译本）。当然，无论我们祷告是快或是慢，上帝都会垂听。但我们的生活步调往往跟随内心的节奏，我们需要留出充足的时间，让上帝可以对我们说话，触动我们的生命，也感动我们周遭的人。我们有多少次因匆匆结束祷告，而错过了让祂改变生命的机会？

无论是动作慢或车速慢，我们对“慢”总是感到不耐烦。但我相信，上帝会慈爱地对我们说：“要安静，要休息。深呼吸，慢慢来，记得我是上帝，是你的避难所和力量，也是你患难中随时的帮助。”当我们学习安静休息，就表示我们知道祂是上帝，完全信靠祂，活出祂所赐的生命。

回想一下，当你放慢脚步在祷告中聆听上帝声音时，
有什么感觉？你要如何安静在上帝的同在中并认识祂？

天父，无论顺境或逆境，祢总是我随时的帮助，
我要感谢祢！求祢赐恩让我的心安静，知道祢是上帝。