作为牧师,我有时会听到会友这样说:“我简直无法祷告。”人们在抑郁、身体疲惫或被悲伤压垮时,有时会发现自己根本无法祷告。
或许你也会有无力祷告的时候。如果是这样,不用担心。神爱你,祂知道你的感受,祂明白你为什么无法祷告。祂知道你生命中正在发生的一切。
不仅如此,正如保罗在罗马书8章里说的:“我们的软弱有圣灵帮助;我们本不晓得当怎样祷告,只是圣灵亲自…替我们祷告”。在同一章我们还读到“耶稣基督….也替我们祈求”(罗 8:34)。所以主我们的神,祂爱我们,已经覆蔽我们。我们无力祷告时,圣灵和主耶稣都在替我们祈求。
不要害怕承认自己无法祷告。请一位家人或朋友和你一起祷告,或为你祷告,哪怕是在电话上。过去这一年,有几次,我和一个感到艰难甚至无法祷告的妹妹一起祷告。有时候,圣灵也许会使用我们,为无法自己祷告的人代求。
圣灵啊,感谢你在我们无法祷告的时候为我们祈求。求你每天替我们祈求,帮助我们牢记你和耶稣一起为我们代求。阿们。
罗马书 8:22-28
22我们知道,一切受造之物一同叹息、劳苦,直到如今。
23不但如此,就是我们这有圣灵初结果子的,也是自己心里叹息,等候得着儿子的名分,乃是我们的身体得赎。
24我们得救是在乎盼望。只是所见的盼望不是盼望。谁还盼望他所见的呢?
25但我们若盼望那所不见的,就必忍耐等候。
26况且,我们的软弱有圣灵帮助。我们本不晓得当怎样祷告,只是圣灵亲自用说不出来的叹息替我们祷告。
27鉴察人心的,晓得圣灵的意思,因为圣灵照着神的旨意替圣徒祈求。
28我们晓得万事都互相效力,叫爱神的人得益处,就是按他旨意被召的人。
"We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us. . . ." - Romans 8:26
As a pastor, I have sometimes heard members of the church say, “I can’t even pray anymore.” When people are depressed or physically run down or overwhelmed by grief, they can sometimes find it impossible to pray.
Perhaps you’ve had times in your life when you simply did not have the strength to pray. If so, don’t worry. God loves you, and he knows exactly how you feel; he understands why you can’t pray. He knows what’s happening in your life.
What’s more, as Paul writes in Romans 8, “The Spirit [of God] helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us.” And in the same chapter we read that “Christ Jesus . . . is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Romans 8:34). So our Lord and God, who loves us, has us covered. When we can’t pray, the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus are praying for us.
Don’t be afraid to admit that you can’t pray. Ask a family member or friend to pray with you or for you, even if it’s on the phone. During the past year, on several occasions, I have prayed with one of my sisters when she found it difficult or even impossible to pray. Sometimes the Holy Spirit may even use us to pray for people who cannot pray.
Holy Spirit, thank you for praying for us when we find it impossible to pray. Please pray for us each day and help us to remember that you and Jesus pray for us. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳