马克吐温的一部小说中的主要人物哈克·费恩渐渐感觉到祷告是浪费时间的。因为他连续三天祈求一个鱼钩，却根本并没得到！他的结论是：“祷告没用。”
我相信我们很多人有时都有这种感觉，似乎太多祷告未蒙应允。你祈求医治，可你爱的人病逝了。你祈求一份工作，却毫无动静。你祈求神修复破碎的关系，却仍以离婚收场。你恳求神将儿子或女儿带回来，但是并没有。甚至连著名的基督徒作家路易斯也曾经怀疑祷告是浪费时间。在妻子生病期间，他恳切求神挽回她的生命。当最后她的妻子还是离去时，他说，“天堂的门” 好像 “上了双门闩” ——然而，之后他终于明白了，神并没有把他拒之门外。
在不义法官的比喻中，耶稣告诉门徒们和我们——要 “常常祷告，不可灰心”。如果连不义的审判官最后都听了寡妇的乞求，我们在天上的父岂不更会垂听我们吗？尽管神不是按着我们愿意的方式回应祷告，祂却总会垂听并看顾，终有一天祂让我们看到，祂把咒诅变为祝福。
圣灵啊，求祢指教我们如何祷告，并帮助我们相信天父必垂听和回应每一个祷告。奉耶稣的名求，阿们。
路加福音 18:1-8
1耶稣设一个比喻，是要人常常祷告，不可灰心。
2说：“某城里有一个官，不惧怕上帝，也不尊重世人。
3那城里有个寡妇，常到他那里，说：‘我有一个对头，求你给我伸冤。’
4他多日不准， 后来心里说：‘我虽不惧怕上帝，也不尊重世人，
5只因这寡妇烦扰我，我就给她伸冤吧，免得她常来缠磨我！’”
6主说：“你们听这不义之官所说的话。
7上帝的选民昼夜呼吁他，他纵然为他们忍了多时，岂不终久给他们伸冤吗？
8我告诉你们，要快快地给他们伸冤了。然而，人子来的时候，遇得见世上有信德吗？”
"Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?" — Luke 18:6-7
Huck Finn, the main character in one of Mark Twain's novels, became convinced that praying was a waste of time. For three days straight he prayed for fish hooks, but no fish hooks appeared! His conclusion: "There ain't nothing in it."
I'm sure many of us have felt that way at times. So many of our prayers seem to go unanswered. You pray for healing, but the person you love is taken from you. You ask for a job, and nothing happens. You ask the Lord to heal a broken relationship, and still your marriage ends in divorce. You plead with the Lord to bring your son or daughter back, but it doesn't happen. Even the well-known Christian author C. S. Lewis began to wonder if praying was a waste of time. During his wife's illness he pleaded with God to spare her life. And when she was gone, he said, it seemed the "door to heaven" was "double-bolted"— but he realized later that God hadn't shut him out.
In the parable of the persistent widow Jesus tells his disciples— and us— to "always pray and not give up." If even an unjust judge finally listens, how much more will our Father in heaven hear us! Though God does not always answer our prayers the way we want him to, he always listens and cares, and someday he will right all wrongs.
Holy Spirit, teach us how to pray, and help us to believe that our Father in heaven hears and answers every prayer. In Jesus' name, Amen.
诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳
