Keep in Touch 保持联系
Dexu Xia
Pray to your Father. Matthew 6:6
Madeleine L’Engle made it a habit to call her mother once a week. As her mother moved into her later years, the beloved spiritual writer called more frequently, “just to keep in touch.” In the same way, Madeleine liked her children to call and maintain that connection. Sometimes it was a lengthy conversation filled with significant questions and answers. Other times a call simply making sure the number was still valid was sufficient. As she wrote in her book Walking on Water, “It is good for the children to keep in touch. It is good for all of us children to keep in touch with our Father.”
Most of us are familiar with the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9–13. But the verses that precede it are just as important, for they set the tone for what follows. Our prayers aren’t to be showy, “to be seen by others” (v. 5). And while there’s no limit on how long our prayers need to be, “many words” (v. 7) doesn’t automatically equate to quality prayer. The emphasis seems to be on maintaining regular contact with our Father who knows our need “before [we] ask him” (v. 8). Jesus stresses how good it is for us to keep in touch with our Father. Then instructs us: “This, then, is how you should pray” (v. 9).
Prayer is a good, vital choice for it keeps us in touch with the God and Father of us all.
By: John Blase
How can you better stay in touch with others? How have you experienced keeping in touch with the Father?
Father, thank You for knowing my needs before I even speak them
向那在隐秘中的父祷告。—马太福音6章6节，和合本修订版
麦德琳‧兰歌（Madeleine L’Engle）已经养成习惯，每周打一通电话给她的母亲。后来母亲日渐年迈，这位广受喜爱的灵修作家就更常打电话给她，麦德琳说：“我只是想保持联络。”同样地，麦德琳也喜欢她的子女以电话来维系彼此的关系。有时通话时间很长，因讨论重大问题需要解答；有时单单只是拨个电话，确认号码没换也就够了。正如麦德琳在她的一本书中（Walking on Water）提到：“孩子和父母保持联系是件好事；同样地，我们身为天父的儿女，与天父保持联系也是件美好的事。”
许多人都很熟悉马太福音6章9-13节的主祷文，但前一段经文其实也很重要，因它为接下来的祷词定了大方向。这段经文指出祷告不是为了夸耀自己，“故意叫人看见”（5节）。祷告不在于内容长短，而且“话多”（7节）未必就代表祷告有内涵。祷告的重点是在于和天父经常保持联系，这位天父在我们“没有祈求以先”（8节），就已经知道我们的需要了。耶稣强调，对你我而言，能和天父保持联系实在是太美好了。因此接下来，祂教导我们：“所以，你们祷告要这样说……。”（9节）
祷告是一个美好且至关重要的抉择，这能让我们与上帝，这位我们在天上的父保持联系。
作者： 博约翰
你要如何与人保持更密切的联系？
你如何经历到与天父保持联系？
天父，感谢祢，在我祈求之前，祢就早已知道我的需要。