God Speaking to Us 上帝对我们说话

[Dexu Xia]

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:10

I received a phone call from an unknown number. Often, I let those calls go to voicemail, but this time I picked up. The random caller asked politely if I had just a minute for him to share a short Bible passage. He quoted Revelation 21:3–5 about how God “will wipe every tear from their eyes.” He talked about Jesus, how he was our assurance and hope. I told him I already know Jesus as my personal Savior. But the caller wasn’t aiming to “witness” to me. Instead, he simply asked if he could pray with me. And he did, asking God to give me encouragement and strength.

That call reminded me of another “call” in Scripture—God called out to the young boy Samuel in the middle of the night (1 Samuel 3:4–10). Three times Samuel heard the voice, thinking it was the elderly priest Eli. The final time, following Eli’s instruction, Samuel realized that God was calling him: “Speak, for your servant is listening” (v. 10). Likewise, through our days and nights, God may be speaking to us. We need to “pick up,” which might mean spending more time in His presence and listening for His voice.

I then thought of “the call” in another way. What if we sometimes are the messenger of God’s words to someone else? We might feel we have no way of helping others. But as God guides us, we could phone a friend and ask, “Would it be okay if I just prayed with you today?”

By:  Kenneth Petersen

What message of encouragement did someone recently share with you? Who might be encouraged by a phone call from you?

Dear God, prompt me to think of others whom I can encourage with Your wisdom.

撒母耳回答说：“请说，仆人敬听！”—撒母耳记上3章10节

我的手机来电显示陌生的电话号码，我通常不会接听这类的电话，而是直接转至语音信箱，但我却接听了这通电话。来电者礼貌地问我，是否有时间听他分享一小段圣经经文。他引用启示录21章3-5节，谈到上帝“要擦去他们一切的眼泪”，也提到耶稣是我们的保障和盼望。我告诉他，我已经接受耶稣成为我个人的救主，但他的目的并不是为了向我作见证，而是询问可否和我一起祷告。后来，他确实为我祷告，祈求上帝鼓励我并赐给我力量。

这通电话让我想起圣经中另一通“电话”：上帝在半夜呼唤年幼的撒母耳（撒母耳记上3章4-10节）。撒母耳三次听见那声音，以为是老迈的祭司以利在呼唤他。到了第四次，撒母耳听了以利的指示，知道这是上帝呼唤他，便回答：“请说，仆人敬听！”（10节）同样地，无论白天或黑夜，上帝也会对我们说话，而我们需要“接听电话”，这可能意味着花更多时间来到祂面前，聆听祂的声音。

我接着又想到另一种“电话”。如果你我是传递上帝话语的使者，那该怎么做呢。我们也许会觉得自己无法帮助别人，但靠着上帝的带领，我们可以打个电话询问朋友：“我今天可以和你一起祷告吗？”

作者：  毕恺腾

最近有人对你说了哪些鼓励的话？
你可以打电话去鼓励谁呢？

亲爱的上帝，请让我想到我可以鼓励的人，
让我能以祢的智慧去帮助他们。