Hope in God 等候上帝

[Dexu Xia]

I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”Lamentations 3:24

As the holiday season approached, package shipments were delayed due to an unprecedented influx of online orders. I can remember a time when my family preferred to simply go to the store and purchase items because we knew we had very little control over the speed of mail delivery. However, when my mother signed up for an account that included expedited shipping, this expectation changed. Now with a two-day guaranteed delivery, we’re accustomed to receiving things quickly, and we become frustrated by delays.  

We live in a world accustomed to instant gratification, and waiting can be difficult. But in the spiritual realm, patience is still rewarded. When the book of Lamentations was written, the Israelites were mourning the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army, and they faced a series of challenges. However, in the midst of chaos, the writer boldly affirmed that because he was confident that God would meet his needs, he would wait on Him (Lamentations 3:24). God knows we’re inclined to become anxious when answers to our prayers are delayed. Scripture encourages us by reminding us to wait on God. We don’t have to be consumed or worried because “his compassions never fail” (v. 22). Instead, with God’s help we can “be still . . . and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7). May we wait on God, trusting in His love and faithfulness even as we wrestle with longings and unanswered prayers.

How have you been waiting for God? How might you trust His timing?

Heavenly Father, sometimes it can be difficult to wait on You. Please give me the strength to continue hoping in You.  

我心里说：“耶和华是我的分，因此，我要仰望祂。”—耶利米哀歌3章24节

随着佳节临近，网上购物的订单空前暴涨，包裹的运送因而延迟。我还记得有一段时间，我的家人宁愿去商店购物，因为我们知道自己无法掌控邮件送达的时间。但在我的母亲注册了一个包含加快配送的帐号之后，改变了我们对货物送达时间的要求。现在有了两天必会交货的保证，让我们习惯很快就能收到货品，时间上一有延误就会使我们烦躁不安。

我们生活在一个习惯即时满足的世界，等待也变得越发难熬。但在属灵的领域中，耐心等待是不会白费的。当先知耶利米在写耶利米哀歌时，以色列人正因巴比伦军队摧毁耶路撒冷而哀痛欲绝，他们也面对种种挑战。然而，在一片混乱之中，耶利米大胆宣告，因他相信上帝必会满足他的需要，所以他会等候仰望上帝（耶利米哀歌3章24节）。上帝知道我们在祷告迟迟得不着回应时，往往会变得焦虑不安。但圣经鼓励我们，也提醒我们要等候、仰望上帝。我们不必灰心或忧虑，因为上帝的“怜悯不致断绝”（22节）。相反地，我们靠着上帝的帮助，就可以“静默无声，耐心地等候祂”（诗篇37篇7节，新译本）。即使我们正为着心中的渴望，以及尚未得蒙应允的祷告而苦苦挣扎，但仍然期盼你我能等候上帝，信靠祂的慈爱与信实。

你是怎样等候上帝回应你的祷告？
你要如何信靠祂的安排和时间？

天父啊，有时我会缺乏耐心等待祢的回应，
但求祢赐我力量，使我能继续等候、仰望祢。