Faithful in Prayer 祷告要恒切

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Dexu Xia

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May 6, 2026, 11:30:46 PMMay 6

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Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

Today's Scripture Romans 12:12

Today's Insights Romans 12:9-21 shows how love should be the foundation for believers in Jesus. This passage bears striking similarities to Paul’s extended instructions to the Corinthian church on the centrality of love (1 Corinthians 13). Here in Romans, we see that love can overcome evil as we live in faithful dedication to others (v. 21). Mirroring the words of Christ in His Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5-7), the apostle advocates that the Roman believers embrace humility, meekness, and faithfulness (Romans 12:10-16). For them and for us today, a life of love overcomes the evil in the world and shows the worthiness of Christ, who Himself never repaid evil for evil but first loved those who hated Him. As we’re “faithful in prayer” (12:12), the Holy Spirit will help us love others and leave a legacy of faithfulness.

Today's Devotion After great-grandma Clara passed away, her ten-foot-long prayer list of people for whom she prayed regularly became a family heirloom. On it were typewritten many extended family members, friends, people her friends were praying for, as well as the names of high-profile evangelists, pastors, and ministries. New family members and specific prayer requests are handwritten in the margins. I became emotional seeing my mother’s name on the list, added when she was just a child.

The apostle Paul wrote to the early church, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12). In his letter, Paul exhorted believers to do many things that displayed love in action—hating evil and loving good (v. 9), honoring others above yourself (v. 10), passionately serving God (v. 11), and practicing hospitality (v. 13). These good works would be empty without the love of Christ working in us. That’s where faithful prayer comes in. Paul called his friends to “join [him] in [his] struggle by praying to God for [him]” (15:30). Specific requests for safety from opposers and a favorable reception in Jerusalem (vv. 31-32) were on Paul’s list. Perhaps they ended up on the private prayer list of a great-grandma in Rome too.

Prayer empowers us to live in a way that “overcomes evil with good” (12:21). Though we may not always see the outcome, it creates a legacy of faithfulness for generations to come.

Reflect & Pray

What kinds of prayers have others prayed for you? Who or what is at the top of your prayer list?

Dear God, please help me be faithful in prayer.

By Karen Pimpo

“在指望中要喜乐，在患难中要忍耐，祷告要恒切。”（罗马书12章12 节）

今日经文：罗马书12章12节

今日洞见罗马书12章9-21节揭示了“爱”应当成为耶稣信徒的根基。这段经文与保罗写给哥林多教会、关于“爱”之核心地位的详尽教导（见哥林多前书13章）有着惊人的相似之处。在罗马书的这段经文中，我们看到：当我们以忠心致力于服侍他人时，爱便能胜过邪恶（21节）。使徒保罗呼应了基督在“登山宝训”（见马太福音5-7章）中的教导，劝勉罗马的信徒们要立志谦卑、温柔与忠心（罗马书12:10-16）。对于当时的信徒，也对于今天的我们而言，一种充满爱的生活能够胜过世上的邪恶，并彰显基督的尊贵与荣美，因为祂自己从未以恶报恶，而是主动去爱那些恨祂的人。当我们“在祷告上恒切”（12:12）时，圣灵便会帮助我们去爱他人，并留下忠心的属灵遗产。

今日灵修曾祖母克拉拉离世后，那份长达十英尺（约3米）、记录着她常年代祷对象的名单，便成为一份珍贵的传家宝。这份名单上用打字机打印着许多大家庭成员、亲朋好友、朋友们所托付的代祷对象，以及一些著名的布道家、牧师和事工机构的名字。而在页边的空白处，则用手写的方式增补了新加入的家庭成员和具体的代祷事项。当我在这份名单上看到母亲的名字时，不禁热泪盈眶，那是她在年幼时就被添加到这名单上去的。

使徒保罗曾致信早期教会，写道：“在指望中要喜乐，在患难中要忍耐，祷告要恒切”（罗马书12:12）。在这封信中，保罗勉励信徒们要实践许多彰显“爱之行动”的事：恶要厌恶，善要亲近（9节）；恭敬人，要彼此推让（10节）；殷勤不可懒惰，要心里火热，常常服侍主（11节）；以及要乐意款待客旅（13节）。然而，若没有基督的爱在我们里面运行，这一切善行都将变得空洞而毫无意义。这正是忠心祷告发挥作用之处。保罗呼吁他的朋友们“藉着向神为[某人]祷告，与[某人在事奉上]一同竭力”（15:30）。在保罗的祷告清单上列有具体的祈求事项：求神使他脱离不顺从之人的手，并在为耶路撒冷所办的捐项上蒙圣徒悦纳（31-32节）。或许，这些祈求最终也出现在了罗马某位曾祖母的私密祷告清单上。祷告赋予我们力量，使我们能活出“以善胜恶”的生命样式（12:21）。虽然我们未必总能亲眼看见祷告的果效，但它却为后世子孙留下了忠心的属灵传承。

反思与祷告曾有哪些人为你献上过祷告？在你的祷告清单上，排在首位的对象或事项是什么？亲爱的神啊，求祢帮助我，使我能在祷告的事工上忠心不怠。