our daily bread

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Dexu Xia

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Dec 27, 2018, 1:11:10 AM12/27/18

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

Diane listened as the others in the group asked for prayers for their family members and friends facing challenges or illness. She had a family member who had been struggling with an addiction for years. But Diane kept her request silent. She couldn’t bear to see the looks on people’s faces or hear the questions or advice that often followed whenever she spoke the words aloud. She felt that this request was usually better left unspoken. Others simply didn’t understand how her loved one could be a believer in Jesus and still struggle daily.

Although Diane didn’t share her request with that group, she did have a few trusted friends she asked to pray with her. Together they asked God to set her loved one free from the very real bondage of addiction that he might experience freedom in Christ—and that God would give Diane the peace and patience she needed. As she prayed, she found comfort and strength from her relationship with Him.

Many of us have earnest, persistent prayers that seem to go unanswered. But we can be assured that God does care and He does hear all our requests. He urges us to continue to walk closely with Him, being “joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12). We can lean on Him.

Lord, Your Word urges us to p

上帝垂听

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

在小组的聚会中，美珊留心倾听其他小组成员提出的代祷事项，他们请大家为自己面对困难或身患疾病的亲友代祷。美珊也有一位家人多年来都陷在成瘾的挣扎中，但她并没有提出来请大家代祷，因为每次她向人分享此事之后，人们都会露出怪异的表情，或对她发出提问与建议，这让她感到很难受。她觉得这件事还是保持沉默比较好，因为其他人不能理解，她所爱的这位家人明明是基督徒，为什么每天还会面对这样的挣扎。

美珊虽然没有在小组里请众人为她这位家人代祷，但她仍请几位可信任的朋友和她一同祷告。他们一起恳求上帝释放美珊所爱的这位至亲，让他能彻底摆脱瘾癖的捆绑，经历在基督里的自由，也求上帝给美珊所需要的平安和耐心。美珊藉着祷告亲近上帝，从中得到安慰和力量。

许多人都曾热切持续地祷告，却好似并未得着回应。但我们可以确定上帝确实在乎，祂也确实垂听我们所有的恳求。上帝要我们继续与祂紧密同行，并且“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）。我们可以倚靠祂。

主啊，祢的话语鼓励我们要恒切祷告。
求祢帮助我们能持续祷告，
并让我们能成为别人忠实的代祷伙伴。