Remembering to Praise 记得赞美
Dexu Xia
I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord. Isaiah 63:7
When our congregation built our first building, people wrote thankful reminders on the wall studs and concrete floors before the interior of the building was finished. Pull back the drywall from the studs and you’ll find them there. Verse after verse from Scripture, written beside prayers of praise like “You are so good!” We left them there as a witness to future generations that regardless of our challenges, God had been kind and taken care of us.
We need to remember what God has done for us and tell others about it. Isaiah exemplified this when he wrote, “I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us” (Isaiah 63:7). Later, the prophet also recounts God’s compassion for His people throughout history, even telling how “in all their distress he too was distressed” (v. 9). But if you keep reading the chapter, you’ll notice Israel is again in a time of trouble, and the prophet longs for God’s intervention.
Remembering God’s past kindnesses helps when times are hard. Challenging seasons come and go, but His faithful character never changes. As we turn to Him with grateful hearts in remembrance of all He’s done, we discover afresh that He’s always worthy of our praise.
By: James Banks
What kindnesses has God shown you in the past? How does praising Him for them help you when you’re going through challenging times?
Father, You’re sovereign over all creation. I praise You because Your goodness doesn’t change, and You’re always with me.
我要……提起祂的慈爱和美德。—以赛亚书63章7节
当我们的教会在兴建第一座会堂建筑时，许多会友在室内装修完工之前，在墙柱和水泥地板上写下一些感谢的话，提醒我们要感恩。要是你将石膏墙板拆下来，你就会看到，一节又一节的经文，就写在像“祢真好！”这样的赞美祷告词旁边。我们将这些话语留在那里，为要向后代子孙作见证：无论我们面对任何挑战，上帝的恩慈永不改变，祂会时时看顾我们。
我们应牢记上帝为我们所做的一切，并要向人分享。先知以赛亚就是一个例子，他说：“我照着耶和华为我们所作的一切，提说耶和华的慈爱，耶和华可称颂的事”（以赛亚书63章7节，新译本）。接着，先知讲述了自古以来上帝如何怜悯祂的子民，甚至“他们在一切苦难中，祂也同受苦难”（9节）。如果你继续阅读这章经文，你会发现，那时以色列民正再度深陷困境之中，而先知渴望上帝介入施行拯救。
在艰难的时候，回想过去上帝所赐的恩惠对我们大有帮助。虽然你我时不时会面对各种挑战，但上帝那信实的特质却从未改变。当我们以感恩的心归向祂，记念祂所做的一切，我们将重新体会到，祂永远配得你我的赞美！
作者： 庞雅各
过去，上帝曾如何恩待你？
当你经历种种挑战时，
回想上帝曾如何恩待你，对你有何帮助？
天父啊，祢执掌王权，统管万有。我要赞美祢，
因为祢的良善从未改变，祢一直与我同在