It’s Time to Pray . . . Again 又是祷告时刻

[Dexu Xia]

It’s Time to Pray . . . Again

Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. Ephesians 6:18

I pulled into my driveway, waving at my neighbor Myriam and her little girl Elizabeth. Over the years, Elizabeth had grown accustomed to our spontaneous chats lasting longer than the promised “few minutes” and morphing into prayer meetings. She climbed the tree planted in the center of their front yard, dangled her legs over a branch, and busied herself while her mother and I spoke. After a while, Elizabeth hopped down from her roost and ran to where we stood. Grabbing our hands, she smiled and almost sang, “It’s time to pray . . . again.” Even at an early age, Elizabeth seemed to understand how important prayer was in our friendship.

After encouraging believers to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10), the apostle Paul offered special insight on the crucial role of continual prayer. He described the necessary armor God’s people would need during their spiritual walk with the Lord, who provides protection, discernment, and confidence in His truth (vv. 11–17). However, the apostle emphasized this God-given strength grew from deliberate immersion in the life-giving gift of prayer (vv. 18–20).

God hears and cares about our concerns, whether they’re spoken boldly, sobbed silently, or secured deep in a hurting heart. He’s always ready to make us strong in His power, as He invites us to pray again and again and again.

How can ongoing prayer change our perspective, relationships, and day-to-day living? What would it mean for you to consider your time in prayer to be as vital as breathing?

Heavenly Father, thank You for the privilege of coming to You in prayer.

 又是祷告时刻

靠着圣灵，随时多方祷告祈求。—以弗所书6章18节

我把车子驶入屋前的停车位，向我的邻居迷雅和她的小女儿莎莎挥挥手。多年来，我和邻居迷雅时常一起倾诉彼此的难处，莎莎已经习惯我们这种本是偶遇最后变成一起祷告的相聚。迷雅和我说话时，莎莎就在旁边玩耍，她爬上前院中央的大树，将双腿悬在树枝上。过了一会儿，莎莎跳下来跑向我们，抓着我们的手，开心地说：“又是祷告的时候啦！”即使年幼如她，似乎也明白祷告对我们的友谊有多么重要。

使徒保罗鼓励信徒“要靠着主，倚赖祂的大能大力，作刚强的人”（以弗所书6章10节），过后他对持续祷告的重要性提供特别的见解。他描述了上帝子民在与主同行的信仰旅程中必备的盔甲，这位上帝藉着真理为我们提供保护、洞察力和信心（11-17节）。然而，保罗强调这种上帝所赐予的力量，是来自于上帝所给的恩赐，就是专心祷告，恳切祈求（18-20节）。

上帝听到我们的祈求，祂关心我们的挂虑，无论我们是大胆地向上帝陈述，或无声地啜泣，还是陷在深深的伤痛中。上帝总是邀请我们一次又一次向祂祈祷，祂随时准备赐给我们能力，让我们变得坚强。

天父啊，感谢祢赐给我如此殊荣，
可以藉着祷告来到祢面前。

持续的祷告如何改变我们的观点、人际关系和日常生活？祷告就如呼吸一样重要，那么你该怎么做呢？