God Hears Us 上帝垂听
Dexu Xia
Hear my prayer, Lord, listen to my cry for help; do not be deaf to my weeping. Psalm 39:12
The first grader called the number for emergency dispatch. The 9-1-1 operator answered. “I need help,” said the boy. “I have to do take-aways.” The operator proceeded to assist, until he heard a woman enter the room and say, “Johnny, what are you doing?” Johnny explained that he couldn’t do his math homework, so he did exactly what his mother had taught him to do when he needed help. He called 9-1-1. To Johnny, his current need qualified as an emergency. To the compassionate listener, helping the young boy with his homework was top priority in that moment.
When the psalmist David needed help, he said, “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is” (Psalm 39:4 nlt). He said, “My hope is in” God (v. 7). So, he pleaded for Him to hear and answer his “cry for help” (v. 12). Then, strangely, he asked God to “look away from” him (v. 13). Though David’s needs remain unspoken, throughout Scripture he declared that God would always be with him, hearing and answering his prayers.
Our confidence in God’s constancy allows us to process our fickle feelings, while affirming there’s no request too big or too small for the unchanging One. He hears us, cares for us, and answers every prayer we utter. By: Xochitl Dixon
How has God demonstrated His love for you by answering prayers you thought would be too small to bring to Him? Which of your needs seems too big or too small?
Loving God, thank You for hearing and answering every prayer I place in Your hands.
耶和华啊，求祢听我的祷告，留心听我的呼求！我流泪，求祢不要静默无声。—诗篇39篇12节
有个小学一年级的男孩拨打紧急求救电话，接线员接了电话，小男孩说：“我需要有人教我算数。”善良的接线员开始协助男孩，直到他听见电话另一头有人说：“强尼，你在做什么？”强尼说他不会减法，以前妈妈教过他碰到困难时该怎么做，所以他就照妈妈所说的拨打紧急求救电话。对强尼来说，他当下的需求确实是紧急事件。对于富有同情心的接线员来说，帮助这个小男孩写作业就是首要之务。
当诗人大卫需要帮助时，他说：“上主啊，求祢让我想到，我在世的年日多么短暂，求祢让我知道，我的日子有限，我的生命在飞逝”（诗篇39篇4节，新普及译本），还说：“我的指望在乎祢！”（7节）因此他祈求上帝垂听并回应他的“呼求”（12节）。颇耐人寻味的是大卫恳求上帝“宽容”他（13节）。虽然大卫没有说他有何需求，但在圣经中，他总是表明上帝会永远与他同在，垂听并回应他的祷告。
我们能肯定上帝永不改变，这使我们得以面对自己善变的情绪，而且我们也可以确信，对这位永恒不变的上帝而言，任何需求都没有大小之分。祂会顾念我们，并且垂听、回应我们所有的祈求。作者： 邓书琪
上帝如何藉着回应你认为微不足道的祷告，来展现祂对你的爱？
你有哪些需求似乎太大或太小？
慈爱的上帝，我把每个祷告都交在祢手中，感谢祢垂听并予以回应。