Manna issue 77 - On Time and Prayer 按時禱告
Let prayer dictate our daily schedule. 讓禱告來指引我們每天的行程
Jachin—Singapore 新加坡 雅斤
Evening and morning and at noon
I will pray, and cry aloud,
And He shall hear my voice.
(Ps 55:17)
17我要晚上、早晨、晌午哀聲悲歎；他也必聽我的聲音。
(詩 55：17)
In this psalm, David wrote that he
will pray three times a day: in the
evening, in the morning, and at noon.
With these words, he expressed his
commitment to this daily prayer
schedule by which he could pour out
his heart, confident that God would
hear him. As Christians today, do we
have the same commitment to prayer
that David had?
在這詩篇，大衛寫說，他會每天禱告三次：晚上，早上和中午。
有這些話，他顯出承諾要作到每天禱告的安排，
藉著禱告他可以向神傾心吐意，並且有信心神會垂聽。
身為今日的基督徒，我們有沒有同樣的承諾要像大衛一樣來禱告呢？
Many of us feel that we do not
have enough time in our busy lives
to pray. We will say a quick prayer in
the morning, believing that we have
done our Christian duty, all the while
thinking about the many tasks on our
to-do list for that day. There is always
too much to do, and too little time to
do it. So when we do find the time to
pray, it is often a short, hurried one.
我們許多人會覺得，自已在忙碌的生活中，沒有足夠的時間來禱告。
我們會在早上匆匆禱告，並且認為我們已經作了身為基督徒的責任，
但從始至終，都在想著那天待辨事項名單上面的許多事項。
總是有非常多的事情可以作，但卻有很少的時間來完成他們。
所以當我們真的找出時間來禱告時，通常是又短又急。
Yet, we know from our own
experience that when we do not
devote time to speak to God in prayer,
our life feels empty. Our day may
be fully packed with activities, but
when we retire to bed we do not feel
satisfied. In fact, prayer is a source of
joy and strength, especially when we
are at our busiest. Those who have
attended students’ theological training
courses will know how arduous and
packed the course schedules can be.
Some students can hardly open their
eyes in the morning. And yet, because
prayers are significantly longer, the
students are spiritually satisfied
and rejuvenated at the end of the
course. After three weeks of regular
daily prayers, from early morning to
bedtime, the students feel as though
they have touched God.
然而，我們從自已的經驗都知道，
當我們沒有空出時間在禱告中向神說話的時候，我們的生命就會感覺虛空。
我們的整天可能充滿了各種的活動，
但是當我們回到床上休息的時候，我們自已並沒有感到很滿意。
事實上，禱告是喜樂和力量的來源，特別是我們很忙的時候。
有參加過學生神學訓練課程的人，就會知道課程的安排是有多麼的緊湊。
有一些學生在早上很難睜開眼睛。
然而，因為禱告時間特別的長，學生會感覺靈性很滿足，
在課程結束的時候，感覺重新得力。
在三個禮拜每天固定禱告之後，從早晨到睡覺時候，
學生就感覺好像他們碰觸到神。
Even though many of us have
experienced the blessings of devoting
time to pray, the most common excuse
for not praying remains: “I simply
don’t have time.” Why is this so? Is
prayer not one aspect of our faith that
we need to seamlessly integrate into
our lives? Let us look at two examples
in the Bible to find the answers.
即使我們許多人已經體驗過空出時間禱告神的祝福，
最常見不禱告的藉口仍然是："我就是沒空。"
為什麼會變成這樣呢？
難道禱告不是我們信仰中的一環，要無縫接軌地融入生活中的一件事嗎？
讓我們來看看聖經裡面的兩個例子，來尋找答案。
DANIEL 但以理
Balancing Prayer and Work Life 平衡禱告和工作的生活
At the end of Daniel chapter 5, we
read how Darius overthrew the
Babylonian king Belshazzar and
ushered in the era of the Medo-
Persian Empire. This regime change
resulted in a complete transformation
of Daniel’s working environment (Dan
6:1–5). Despite this, Daniel’s output
remained consistent:
但以理書第五章的後面，我們看到大利烏推翻了巴比倫王伯沙撒王，
並且引導瑪代波斯帝國的年代。
這次政權的改變，導致了但以理工作環境的整個改變。(但 6：1-5)
雖然這樣，但以理的付出仍然是一樣的：
Then this Daniel distinguished
himself above the governors and
satraps, because an excellent spirit
was in him; and the king gave
thought to setting him over the
whole realm. So the governors
and satraps sought to find some
charge against Daniel concerning
the kingdom; but they could find
no charge or fault, because he was
faithful; nor was there any error or
fault found in him.
(Dan 6:3–4)
3因這但以理有美好的靈性，所以顯然超乎其餘的總長和總督，王又想立他治理通國。
4那時，總長和總督尋找但以理誤國的把柄，為要參他；只是找不著他的錯誤過失，
因他忠心辦事，毫無錯誤過失。
(但 6：3-4)
Daniel worked just as faithfully as
he had under his old masters, and
excelled in his duties. Even though his
enemies scrutinized his actions, they
could find no fault—his work was
impeccable.
但以理的工作仍然是同樣的忠心，就像他面對從前的主人一樣，並且勝任他的職位。
即使他的敵人徹徹底底在檢視他一切的行為，
他們找不到錯誤 - 因為他的工作毫無瑕疵。
It is well known that Daniel prayed
three times a day (Dan 6:10). From
the time he entered the Babylonian
court, throughout his days as chief
administrator over the wise men in
Babylon, and continuing after he
was appointed as one of the three
governors of Persia and Medes, he
kept the same routine—he gave
thanks to God three times a day. The
question is: How did Daniel find the
time to pray whilst maintaining such a
high standard in his work?
大家都知道，但以理一天會三天禱告。(但 6：10)
從他進入巴比倫帝國的時代，在他的一生之中，
都是行政主管，在管理巴比倫國內的智者，
直到後來，他被任命為波斯和瑪代三個總督其中的一位，
他保持同作的日常作息 - 他一天會三次感謝神。
問題是，但以理如何找出時間來向神禱告，
而同一時間，他又要維持工作上高標準的表現呢？
Some may argue that since Daniel
had an excellent spirit (Dan 6:3), he
could discharge his duties perfectly
without expending much time or
effort. After all, God was with him
and had blessed him with knowledge
and understanding, even more so
than his three friends. If we take
this to its logical conclusion, then it
is no surprise that Daniel was able
to fulfill his responsibilities and pray
three times a day. Unlike Daniel, no
matter how much we try to produce
impeccable work, there will always
be room for improvement, which
requires time and energy. Since we do
not have Daniel’s extraordinary gifts,
how can we hope to excel in our work
if we must also find time to pray?
有些人或許會爭議，因為但以理有美好的靈性(但 6：3)，
他可以不花很多時間和精力，就可以卸下他的責任。
畢竟，神和他同在，祝福他有知識和理解力，甚至比他的三個朋友更加優秀。
若我們把這一點，以理性邏輯來作推論，
那麼但以理可以完成他的責任，一天禱告三次一點也不另人驚奇。
沒辨法像但以理，不論我們花了多少努力嘗試要作好自已的工作，
總是會有再進步的空間，但卻要花時間和精力。
因為我們沒有但以理特殊的恩賜，
若我們一定要找時間來禱告，我們如何可以勝任工作？
In fact, this reasoning is flawed.
First, Daniel could not have produced
impeccable work based on talent
alone. He would have spent time and
effort to learn how best to do things
and to iron out errors. Daniel was
human after all; even Jesus had to
spend time in the temple to learn and
ask questions.
事實上，這個推論是有瑕疵的。
第一，但以理若只依賴自已的才能，他就不能完全勝任工作。
他可能會花時間和精力，去學習要如何把事情作到最好，並且能排除錯誤。
畢竟但以理是人；
即使耶穌必要花時間在聖殿來學習和發問。
Second, although Daniel was
gifted with knowledge and wisdom,
this corresponded with the work he
had to do. God had placed him as
governor over the kingdom, and so
blessed him with the gifts he would
need for this position. For us, we may
not be a government official, but God
will bless us with the gifts we need to
fulfill our duties.
第二，雖然但以理有知識和智慧的恩賜，
這和他要作的工作剛好相符合。
神讓他成為總督統管全國，所以祝福他有工作職位上，所會需要的恩賜。
對我們而言，可能不是政府管員，
但神會祝福我們有足夠所需的恩賜，來完全我們的職責。
Third, and most important, we
believe that whether we can pray, and
for how long, is dictated by how much
time we have. If we have time, then
we will pray; if we have no time, then
we will not pray. But for Daniel, it was
the opposite: his prayer routines took
precedence over his work schedule.
Conversely, if we allow our time to
be defined by our work and not by
our prayers, then we will never have
enough time to pray.
第三，最重要的是我們相信，可不可以禱告，及禱告多久，
是決定於我們有多少時間。
若有時間，就禱告，若沒有時間，就不禱告。
而但以理正好相反，他的日常禱告的安排，是排在工作計劃之前。
相反地，若鄉們讓自已的時間被工作所限制住，
而不是以禱告為主，那麼我們就不會有足夠的時間來禱告。
Why Are You Busy? 為什麼你很忙？
We would do well to heed the words
of Jesus to Martha:
我們要好好留心耶穌對馬大所說的說：
And Jesus answered and said to her,
“Martha, Martha, you are worried
and troubled about many things. But
one thing is needed, and Mary has
chosen that good part.”
(Lk 10:41–42a)
41耶穌回答說：馬大！馬大！你為許多的事思慮煩擾，
42但是不可少的只有一件；馬利亞已經選擇那上好的福分，是不能奪去的。
(路 10：41-42)
Like Martha, our problem is that we
want to achieve many things in life.
Martha wanted to be a good host.
You cannot fault her for that, because
she was receiving guests to listen to
the words of Jesus. Unfortunately, this
caused her to become worried and
flustered.
就像馬大一樣，我們的問題就是想在生活中完成許多事情。
馬大想要好好的招待耶穌。
你不能因為這樣就怪她，因為她正在招待那些要聽耶穌說話的客人。
很不幸的是，這件事讓她擔心和忙亂。
In our lives, we want many things as
well. We want our work life and family
life to be perfect, and we want to
have time for leisure. Time for prayer
is probably the least important to us.
我們生活中，也想要作好多事。
想要事業和家庭生活都能完美，想要有時間可以休閒。
對我們而言，禱告的時間或許是最不重要的。
The thing is that God has given every
one of us a fixed amount of time. But
we fear sacrificing this time because,
to us, time is life. Time devoted to
prayer is time we could have used for
other activities.
問題是，神給我們每一個人同樣固定的時間。
我們害怕犧牲時間，因為時間就是生命。
拿出來禱告的時間，也是我們可以拿來從事其他活動的時間。
Jesus told Martha, “[Y]ou are
worried and troubled about many
things. But one thing is needed” (Lk
10:42a). This is an important way
to look at our faith—we may worry
over many things, but such worries
only distract us from more important
matters, such as listening to Jesus’
teachings.
耶穌回答說：馬大！馬大！你為許多的事思慮煩擾，但是不可少的只有一件"。(路 10：41-42a)
這是檢視我們信仰的重要方法 - 我們心中可能有很多憂慮，但這些只會讓我們分心，忽略了更重要的事情，
例如就像是去傾聽耶穌的教導。
In Daniel’s case, he recognized that
the one necessary thing was prayer.
It was perhaps easier for him to pray
three times a day when he had just
arrived in the palace, holding an
insignificant position. But to continue
this routine when he was appointed
chief over all the wise men, and
later, a governor over the kingdom,
was indeed commendable. Not only
would he have had to manage his
own time, he also had to manage the
work of many others. This is why the
Bible says that Daniel had an excellent
spirit.
但以理的故事裡，他了解到，禱告才是必要的。
或許他剛到王宮的時候，一天禱告三次是比較容易的，因為職務沒有那麼重要。
但他繼續他遷路徑的時候，被任命為管理全國智者的主管，後來成為全國的總督，就真的值得稱贊。
不只他一定要好好管理時間，他也要好好管理許多其他人的工作。
這就是為什麼，聖經說，但以理有美好的靈性。
Even when Daniel’s life was on the
line for praying to God, he continued
to pray constantly three times a day
(Dan 6:10). This shows just how
committed he was to a life of prayer.
In our case, we may never have to
choose between preserving our lives
and praying to God but we regularly
sacrifice prayer time for other, less
pressing, reasons. We tell ourselves
that we will have time to pray later.
But after one task is complete, there
will always be other tasks waiting
for us. This is why we should look
to Daniel and allow prayer to be the
priority of our days.
即使當但以理因為向神禱告，而面臨危機的時候，他也持續一天三次禱告。(但 6：10)
這表明了，他對禱告的生活有多麼的用心。
而我們自已的情況，或許從來不必在維持生活及禱告神之間作選擇，
但是我們常常為了其他不重要的理由，而犧牲禱告時間。
我們告訴自已，以後會有時間禱告。
但是在完成一件工作之後，總會有其他的工作正等著我們。
這就是為什麼，我們應該效法但以理，讓禱告成為生活中最重要的事。
JESUS 耶穌
Prayer and Divine Work 禱告和聖工
Hebrews 5:7 notes that when Jesus
was in the flesh, He was a prayerful
Man. He “offered up prayers and
supplications, with vehement cries
and tears to Him who was able to
save Him from death, and was heard
because of His godly fear.” This verse
does not emphasize Jesus’ offering of
His time, His sleep, or His life upon
the cross. Rather, the focus is on His
prayers and supplications, and the
attitude with which He offered them.
希伯來書五章7節記載，當耶穌在世的時候，祂是一個愛禱告的人。
7基督在肉體的時候，既大聲哀哭，流淚禱告，懇求那能救他免死的主，就因他的虔誠蒙了應允。
這段經節並沒有強調耶穌獻出時間，睡眠，或祂的生命在十字架上。
而強調祂的禱告和祈求，並且聚焦在耶穌的態度。
A closer look at the Gospel of
Luke reveals that Jesus would not do
anything without praying first. He
prayed during His baptism, and before
He chose His disciples (Lk 3:21; 6:12).
He prayed at the transfiguration on
the mount and at Gethsemane before
His arrest (Lk 9:28; 22:39–46). These
were significant moments in His life,
but He did not only pray during times
such as these.
再深入一點來看看路加福音，它告訴我們耶穌在作任何事之前，都會先禱告。
祂在洗禮的時候禱告，在選出門徒之前禱告。(路 3：21；6：12)
祂在變貌山上禱告，在各各他山被捕之前禱告。(路 9：28；22：39-46)
這些都是祂生命中重要的時刻，但祂並沒有只在這些重要時刻的時候，才禱告。
So He Himself often withdrew into
the wilderness and prayed. (Lk 5:16)
16耶穌卻退到曠野去禱告。(路 5：16)
或譯"耶穌自已時常退到曠野去禱告。
We see that the more divine work
Jesus did, the more He prayed, even
though He had less time. In Mark 1,
He entered the synagogue on the
Sabbath to preach, and there He
healed a demon-possessed man.
Afterwards, He went to Peter’s house
and healed Peter’s mother-in-law.
When the Sabbath drew to a close
at sunset, many in the city brought
the sick to be healed. If we were to
have such a long day of hard work,
it would be normal for us to want a
good night’s sleep and to lie in the
next morning. But what about Jesus?
我們看見耶穌作了越多聖工，祂就越努力禱告，即使祂的時間有限。
馬可福音一章中，祂在安息日進入猶太人會堂傳道，在那裡祂醫治一個被魔附身的人。
之後，祂去了彼得的家，醫治了彼得岳母。
當日落安息日將近的時候，城市許多人把要求醫治的病人帶來。
若我們經過了一整天的努力工作，會想要有一夜好眠，並且躺下來直到隔天早上是很正常的。
但是耶穌會怎麼作呢？
Now in the morning, having risen a
long while before daylight, He went
out and departed to a solitary place;
and there He prayed. (Mk 1:35)
35次日早晨，天未亮的時候，耶穌起來，到曠野地方去，在那裡禱告。(可 1：35)
Jesus awoke before dawn so that He
could pray. The more divine work He
did, the more He prayed. However,
it is often the opposite for us—the
more time we devote to church work,
the less time we put into prayer. We
feel that action is in the work, not in
prayer; we should be active in our
work; prayer is passive and cannot
get the work done. This is another
fundamental misunderstanding of
prayer.
耶穌在天亮之前就醒來了，這樣祂才可以禱告。
祂作了越多聖工，就越多禱告。
然而我們通常是正好相反 -
我們用了更多的時間在聖工上，我們反而就很少時間用在禱告。
我們覺得，行動就是在工作上表現，不是表現在禱告上；
我們應該要在聖工上積極主動；禱告只是消極的方式，不能讓事情有所成就。
這是另一種對禱告本質的誤解。
Firstly, prayer is an action, and
must always be the prelude to any
work we do for God. To work before
praying means that you are focused
on doing the work yourself. To pray
before starting the work means you
acknowledge that it is God’s work,
which He will guide to completion.
第一，禱告就是一種行動，一定總要排在我們為神作工之前。
在禱告之前就工作，代表了你自已只專心在工作。
在開始工作之前禱告，代表了你認為這是神的工作，祂會帶領成全。
“The Lord GOD has given Me
The tongue of the learned,
That I should know how to speak
A word in season to him who is
weary.
He awakens Me morning by
morning,
He awakens My ear
To hear as the learned.” (Isa 50:4)
4主耶和華賜我受教者的舌頭，使我知道怎樣用言語扶助疲乏的人。主每早晨提醒，提醒我的耳朵，使我能聽，像受教者一樣。
(賽 50：4)
This is a prophecy about Jesus. It
says that God awakens Him morning
by morning, and awakens His ear to
hear as the learned. When Jesus rose
up to pray before daybreak every
morning, this is the heart He had—He
would awaken His ear to listen to God.
This is why He was able to proclaim,
“I always do those things that please
Him” (Jn 8:29). By spending time in
prayer, communing with God, Jesus
was able to carry out God’s will. This
is why we should always pray before
we work for God.
這是一則有關耶穌的預言。
這個經節說到，神在每天早晨喚醒祂，當他學習的時候，也會喚醒祂的耳朵。
當耶穌每天早上天亮之前起身禱告，這就是祂內心所擁有的心志 - 祂要喚醒耳朵來聽神的話。
這就是為什麼祂可以宣稱，"因為我常做他所喜悅的事。"(約 8：29)
因為花時間禱告，與神溝通，耶穌才可以實行神的旨意。
這就是為什麼我們應總是在我們為神工作之前，先來禱告。
Secondly, although it seems that
time spent in prayer is time taken
away from our work, the opposite
is true—God often adds to our time
through prayers. We think that time
is wasted in prayer, but it is through
prayer God gives us wisdom to be
effective in what we do. And through
prayer, we are able to prioritize what
is important to do in life. We must
have the faith that whatever we offer
to God, including our time, will surely
not return empty.
第二，雖然看起來在禱告上花時間，就像把一些時間，從我們工作時間中抽離出來，
但反過來才是事實 - 神常常透過禱告加添我們時間。
我們認為禱告是浪費時間，但卻是因為透過禱告，神讓我們有智慧可以有效率地作我們所要作的事。
而且透過禱告，我們可以重新排列在生活上，很重要需要先作的事情。
我們一定要有信心，無論我們獻給神什麼，包含我們的時間，可以確定的是並不會沒有回報。
Thirdly, we often think that work
takes precedence over prayer, when in
fact, it is prayer that takes precedence
over work. Jesus’ servitude was one of
sacrifice: He had no resting place, and
often went without sleep (Lk 9:58);
He would go without food in order to
preach the gospel (Jn 4:34). But when
He had to choose between unfinished
work and time in prayer, prayers took
precedence over work.
第三，我們時常認為，聖工是比禱告更優先，
而事實上是，禱告的優先順序應該放在聖工之前。
耶穌的服事精神就是一種犧牲：祂沒有休息的地方，時常沒有好好睡覺(路 9：58)；
祂沒有吃飯就出去工作，為的就是可以傳福音。(約 4：34)
但是當祂要在還未完成的工作和禱告時間上作選擇的時候，禱告仍然比聖工更優先。
However, the report went around
concerning Him all the more; and
great multitudes came together to
hear, and to be healed by Him of
their infirmities. So He Himself often
withdrew into the wilderness and
prayed. (Lk 5:15–16)
15但耶穌的名聲越發傳揚出去。有極多的人聚集來聽道，也指望醫治他們的病。
16耶穌卻退到曠野去禱告。
(路 5：15-16)
And when He had sent them away,
He departed to the mountain to pray.
(Mk 6:46)
46他既辭別了他們，就往山上去禱告。(可 6：46)
These two verses record how the
crowds came to hear Him and to be
healed by Him. Jesus had much work
to do. But instead of continuing in His
work, He withdrew to a solitary place
to pray!
這二節經節記載了，群眾如何就近祂，想要被祂醫治。
耶穌有很多工作要作。
但是相對於繼續工作，祂卻退到曠野去禱告。
Today, we often talk about being
constantly connected, making
ourselves available at all times. If our
friends or colleagues contact us, we
are expected to reply immediately.
But when Jesus was in the flesh, He
was not always available. There were
occasions when He would dismiss
the multitudes so He could spend
time alone in prayer. Let us learn
from Jesus, to have the discipline and
resolve to temporarily set aside our
work and spend time to connect with
God in prayer.
今日，我們常常說到要時常連繫，讓自已時時有市。
若我們的朋友或同時連絡我們，別人會希望我們立刻回應。
但是當耶穌在世的時候，祂並沒有常常有空。
有很多時候祂會解散群眾，那祂才可以自已獨處來禱告。
讓我們向耶穌學習，能有紀律和決定可以暫時把自已的工作拋開，
花時間在禱告中跟神好好連繫。
CONCLUSION 結論
From the examples of Daniel and
Jesus, we learn that we cannot neglect
prayer, no matter how busy we are
in our careers and in church work.
We should let prayer be the priority
of our daily schedules. We ought
to recognize that we must first pray
before we do any work for God, so
that the work can be guided by Him.
And finally, between unfinished work
and time for prayer, prayer must take
precedence over work.
從但以理和耶穌的例子中，我們學到不能忽略禱告，
不論我們在工作中，或是在聖工上，有多麼忙。
我們應該要把禱告排在我們每天行程的最前面。
我們應該要認識到，在我們為主作任何工作之前，一定要先禱告，
這樣這項工作才能為神所帶領。
最後，面對在未完成的工作和禱告的時間之間，
禱告一定要先排在工作之前。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
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