Manna74-Our Unchanging God 我們不變的神
James Liu—Newcastle, U.K. 紐卡索，英國
翻譯 By SaSaYa
We live in a world of rapid and
perpetual change. From history, we
see how millennia of agriculture
were replaced by centuries of
industrialization, which were in
turn supplanted by decades of
technology, and subsequently, by
our present age of information and
networks. We have also seen fads
come and go, how capricious the
weather is, and even how people can
be unpredictable and unreliable.
我們生活在一個永久快速變化的世界裡。
從歷史上來看，我們見到千年以來的農業已被近百年的工業化所取代，是被這數十年間的技術所取代了，隨後，透過這資訊爆炸的網路世代。
我們也見到潮流更迭，以及變化無常的氣候，甚至連人心都變得不可預測且不可靠。
Yet in such a world defined by
sudden and accelerating change,
there is one who remains absolutely
constant. “Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb
13:8). Such is Jesus, the God whom
we worship today. He is the God who
created the heavens and the earth
from nothing at the beginning of
time. He is the Lord, who comforted
the disciples in their anxiety.
然而，在這迅速變化的世界裡，有個人是絕對永不改變的，耶
穌基督是昔在，今在，永在的(希13:8)，就是我們今日所敬拜的耶穌。
是他將世界與天國這一切從無生有的創造出來。
他也是那位平息門徒焦慮的主。
Why is this knowledge important?
Since God does not change, the
Bible’s account of Him is a completely
reliable guide to what He can do
for us who worship Him today.
So how does the Bible describe God?
為什麼這樣的知識是如此重要?
因為神是不改變的，在聖經中他所訴說的一切，是能非常可靠的指導我們若是敬拜神，主將會為我們做甚麼。
那麼，在聖經中是如何描述神的呢?
THE GOD OF THE PAST 過往的神
From the end of the earth I will cry
to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher
than I.
For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.
(Ps 61:2–4)
我心裏發昏的時候，我要從地極求告你。
求你領我到那比我更高的磐石！
因為你作過我的避難所，作過我的堅固臺，脫離仇敵。
我要永遠住在你的帳幕裏！我要投靠在你翅膀下的隱密處！(詩篇61:2-4)
When David’s heart was weighed
down in the midst of difficulties or
sorrows, God was his strength and
his refuge. God was David’s rock,
his salvation, and his defense (Ps
62:6–7). Whether as shepherd boy
or king, David knew he could always
turn to God for help. No one else
and nothing else is so absolutely
dependable (cf. Ps 62:9–10).
當大衛的心被困難與悲傷來消磨，因而疲於奔命時，神是他的力量以及避難所。
神是大衛的磐石，大衛的救襩，大衛的保護。(詩篇62:6-7)
無論是牧童亦或是作王時，大衛知道無論何時都能向神尋求幫助。沒有任何一個人或是事物能讓人完全信靠的(詩篇62:9-10)
Abram was another recipient of
God’s steadfast and bountiful grace.
亞伯蘭是另一個承受神堅定且豐富恩典的人
After these things the word of the
Lord came to Abram in a vision,
saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield, your exceedingly
great reward.” (Gen 15:1)
這事以後，耶和華在異象中有話對亞伯蘭說：「亞伯蘭，你不要懼怕！我是你的盾牌，必大大地賞賜你。」(創15:1)
This was how God introduced
Himself when Abram began to worry
about not having a child in his old
age. The Lord reassured Abram that
He would be both his shield and his
reward. As a shield, God would watch
over and protect him. As a reward,
God would not only defend him but
also bless him. If Abram believed and
trusted in God, he would be rewarded
accordingly. In the end, God did
indeed reward him with a son and
an inheritance for his faithfulness and
diligence in following God.
在亞伯蘭開始擔憂他晚年後繼無人時，神便向他介紹自己。
神要亞伯蘭放心，他將做他的盾並賞賜他。
作為他的盾牌，神將會照看他，保護他。
在賞賜上，他不只保守他，更祝福他。
若是亞伯蘭相信神，信靠神，他必得到他應得的。
最後，神確實賞賜他一個兒子，並在神的跟前，繼承他的忠誠與勤奮。
Today, we may have trusted friends
or close family members, but they
may not always be there for us; even
if they were, their ability to help us
out of dire straits is often limited. In
contrast, the experiences of these
two ancients are evidence that God
is not only always there for us, He
is always able to help us. When we
are sad, He can comfort us; if we are
in danger, He can protect us. In the
same way that He sheltered David,
God shelters us too. And although the
challenges before us are seemingly
insurmountable, there is nothing that
He cannot do.
今天，我們會信賴朋友或是親密的家庭成員，但是他們不會永遠都在那邊等你；
即使能，他們幫助我們脫離困境的能力是有限的。
相較之下，這兩個古人的經驗證明了神不僅僅時常在那守候我們，他總能幫助我們。
當我們悲傷時，他能安慰我們;當我們身處危難時，他會保護我們。
以庇護大衛的方式來庇護我們。雖然阻檔在我們面前的挑戰看似無法克服，但在神的面前沒有辦不到的事。
THE GOD OF TODAY 今日的神
The author of Hebrews declares that
God rewards those who seek Him
and have faith in Him (Heb 11:6).
希伯來書的作者闡述了，神會獎賞那尋求他，相信他的人(希11；6)。
However, we modern believers
sometimes feel that God does not
respond when we call on and put
our trust in Him. It appears that God
has changed and that the God we
worship is different from the God in
the Bible.
然而，我們現代的信徒有時認為神沒有回應我們，當我們呼求他，並相信他時。
看似，神已經有所改變，現在我們所敬拜的神和過去聖經中的神有所不同。
But the prophet Isaiah is adamant
that God truly does not change:
Although we may have forgotten His
blessings, perhaps even His existence,
He will never forget us.
但先知以賽亞堅信，神是絕對不改變。
雖然，我們可能忘了他的祝福，甚至忘了他的存在，但他絕對不會忘了我們。
But Zion said, “The Lord has
forsaken me, and my Lord has
forgotten me.”
“Can a woman forget her nursing
child, and not have compassion on
the son of her womb?
Surely they may forget,
Yet I will not forget you.”
(Isa 49:14–16)
錫安說：耶和華離棄了我； 主忘記了我。
婦人焉能忘記她吃奶的嬰孩， 不憐恤她所生的兒子？ 即或有忘記的， 我卻不忘記你。
(賽49；14-16)
Why then does it seem that God is
ignoring our supplication?
Deeper reflection will reveal that
the problem lies with us. God may
have spoken to us, but as we were
not consciously listening, we think
He is silent. Or God has answered
our prayers, but as it was not the
answer we liked or were waiting for,
we conclude that He is ignoring us.
為什麼看似神無視了我們的懇求?
更深一層的思考中，我們將會發現問題出於我們。
神或許早已與我們溝通，但我們卻毫無自覺地聆聽，反倒認為他是靜默的。
又或許神回應了我們的禱告，但他的答案卻不是我們想要的，等待的答案，而我們便斷言他沒有回應。
There are several reasons why
God does not grant us what we are
praying for. First, it may be because
we are only focused on getting
our own way without considering
what God’s will is. In effect, we are
imposing our will on God. Second, it
could be that our faith has changed
(cf. Jas 1:6–8). Unknowingly, we
have allowed doubt to creep into our
hearts. We pray but we do not quite
believe that God will work everything
for good.
為什麼神沒有賞賜我們所祈求的東西，這是有幾個理由的。
首先，這可能是因為我們只考慮自己的路，不考慮神的意思。
事實上，我們強加我們的意願在神身上。
其次，也可能是我們的信心有所改變(雅1；6-8)。
在不知不覺中，我們使懷疑在我們的心中蔓延。
我們雖祈禱，但卻不太相信神將使萬事順利。
In other words, God has not
changed, but it is we who have
changed in our willingness to obey.
We neither see nor hear God,
because we have turned away.
Frighteningly, we may not even
realize that we have changed. Living
in a rapidly changing world, we are
unconsciously influenced by new
ideas and trends, which are counter
to the values that we have been
taught from young. And instead of
distancing ourselves from activities
and precepts that contradict our
faith, we begin to distance ourselves
from our faith, concluding that it is
too rigid for the practical world, and
faith should change to suit the times.
換句話說，神並沒有改變，但我們卻改變我們崇拜的意願。
我們不單沒有注視神，且沒有聽從神，因為我們早已轉身而去了。
令人害怕的是，我們甚至可能沒有發現自己的改變。
生活在一個瞬息萬變的世界中。我們不自覺的被那些違反我們過去青少年時所受教導的價值觀的新思維，新趨勢所影響。
而不是和那與信仰牴觸的活動及律例隔絕，反而與我們的信仰保持距離，認為這是過於死板的現實世界，認為信仰應該改變來順應時代。
Therefore, we must always remind
ourselves that our God is the same
God who helped David, Abram, and
all the ancient saints in the Bible. He
has never changed. And so we in
turn must hold onto our first love for
Him. We must constantly examine
ourselves to ensure that we have not
changed in our faith and distanced
ourselves from God. We must learn
to truly humble ourselves before Him
and to fully turn—or re-turn—our
hearts to Him.
因此，我們必須時刻提醒自己，我們的神與當初幫助大衛和亞伯蘭及過去所有古聖徒的神是一樣的。
他從未改變。並且，我們必須持守當初對他那起初的愛。
我們也必須不斷的省察自己，以確保自己沒有改變對神的信仰，且沒有與神疏遠。
我們必須學會在他面前真正地謙卑自己，向他完全敞開或重新打開我們的心。
THE GOD WHOSE PROMISES DO NOT CHANGE 神的應許，永不變更
Not only does God’s unchanging
nature remind us to examine
ourselves, it also offers us comfort.
Since God does not change, His
promises remain valid and applicable
to all generations. Everything that
He has said will surely come to pass.
There is no doubt that a heavenly
inheritance awaits us if we hold firmly
onto the truth.
神不改變的性質，不僅提醒我們要省察自己，也給了我們一個安慰
。既然神是不改變的，他的應許便是一直有效的，並在各個世代都是適用的。
他所說的一切都會應驗。若是我們持守這個道理，毫無疑問地，那存在天上的財寶將會為我們存留。
In particular, we have the blessed
assurance that, whilst on this earth,
God will indeed give the Holy Spirit
to us to help us hold onto Him and
His teachings. All we need to do is
to ask Him (Lk 11:13). However,
some of us have long been praying
fervently and consistently but have
yet to receive the Holy Spirit. This
may have understandably caused us
some niggling doubt or to wonder
why God heeds others but not us.
In moments like these, we need
to remind ourselves—repeatedly,
if necessary—that the God who
poured His Holy Spirit on the apostles
and the brethren around us is an
unchanging God. In His time, He will
also pour His Spirit abundantly upon
us. In the meantime, we only need
to have faith, trust in His word, and
remove all doubt from our hearts (Jn
7:38–39).
尤其是，我們有受祝福的保惠師，在這個世界，神必將聖靈給予我們，幫助我們持守住他的教誨，我們需要做的就是向他祈求(路11:13)。
然而，在我們其中的一些人早已不斷的，迫切的禱告了，但仍未得到聖靈。
這或許能讓我們有所理解，造成了我們有些繁瑣的疑問或是想知道為什麼神只聽到別人但沒聽到我們呢?
此時，我們要反覆的提醒自己，若是有必要，這位不變的神澆灌他的聖靈在使徒和我們周遭的弟兄們身上.。
在他的時候，他將會他的靈大大的澆灌給我們。
在同時，我們只要有信心，相信他所說的話，將心中的懷疑全部捨棄(約7；38-39)。
Furthermore, our unchanging God
comforted, strengthened, and guided
the apostles through the power of
His Spirit. He will similarly comfort,
strengthen, and guide us today
through this Teacher and Counselor.
Importantly, however, we must
ensure that we do not ignore Him or
resist His guidance and teaching.
此外，我們不變的神將會透過聖靈的力量來安慰，加強，並引領門徒們。
在今日，他將透過這樣的管教與輔導給我們同樣的安慰，加強，引領。
然而重要的是，我們必須不抗拒，不忽略他的管教與輔導
UNCHANGING FAITH IN THE UNCHANGING GOD
對神不變的信心
In conclusion, let us keep our eyes
firmly fixed on our unchanging
God: The God who sheltered David,
rewarded Abram, and helped the
many saints in the Bible is the same
God whom we worship and trust
today. From the way He cared for
His chosen people then, we can find
comfort in knowing that He cares for
us in the same way.
最後，讓我們的眼睛緊盯著我們不變的神；
這位神庇佑著大衛，賜福給亞伯蘭，幫助了許多聖經中的聖徒，與今日我們所敬拜的神是一樣的。
從他關照他的選民那樣的方式，我們也可以有所安慰的知道他也必用同樣的方式來關照我們。
When everything else around us
changes and changes rapidly, we
must constantly examine ourselves
to ensure that our faith has not
changed. We must hold fast onto
God and to the knowledge that He
does not change. We must continue
to trust and rely upon His word. And
our unchanging God, who created
all things, will surely grant us all we
need.
當我們周遭的一切都迅速變化時，我們必須不間斷的省察自身，以確保我們的信心是沒有改變的，
我們必須抓住神，並且堅守主永不改變的認知。
我們也必須信任並倚靠他所說的話。
而我們那創造萬物的主，不變的主必將我們的所需大大賞賜。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
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