4. Manna issue 96 - An Unanswered Prayer 沒有回應的禱告
Based on a sermon by Chang Wei Lin—Taiwan 台灣林章偉 講道
Each of us prays to God with the hope that He will hear us and answer.
Granted requests assure us that our prayers are effective and our faith is strengthened.
Unanswered prayers, on the other hand, spark doubt and make us wonder:
If God loves me, why has He withheld His blessings?
If God cares, why does He allow us to suffer?
If God is with me, why does He feel so distant?
我們每個人都會禱告神，盼望祂會垂聽我們且回應。
得到回應的請求讓我們確信自已的禱告有功效，而我們加強了信心。
另一方面，沒有得到回應的禱告會引起懷疑，讓我們猜想：
如果神愛我，為什麼停止了祂的福氣呢？
如果神很關心，為什麼祂讓我們受苦呢？
如果神與我同在，為什麼感覺祂是如此的遙遠呢？
Prayers that seems unanswered do not indicate the withholding of God's love or His absence.
The following biblical examples provide reasons why some prayers go unanswered,
or appear so, and teach us how to move on in our faith and relationship with God.
看似沒有得到回應的禱告，並不表示神停住了關愛或是祂消失了。
以下聖經例子，給了一些禱告沒有得到回應的原因，
或是看起來是如此，並教導我們要如何在我們的信仰和與神的關係中可以繼續進步。
INTERCEDING FOR OTHERS 為別人代禱
Do They Meet God's Requirements? 你是否達到神的要求呢？
Most churches encourage members to intercede for those in need
by displaying a prayer list before prayer sessions.
Seeing names that remain on the list for a long time
may make us wonder why our intercession has been ineffectual,
and even whether we should continue praying for them.
大多數教會鼓勵信徒為有需要的人代禱，
在禱告會之前陳列了代禱清單。
看到長期留在清單中的名字，
可能會讓我們想知道為什麼自已的代禱沒有功效？
甚至會想我們是否應該繼續為他們禱告。
In Genesis 18:20–21, God shared with Abraham His plan
to visit Sodom and examine the extent of its evil.
After Abraham interceded six times for the city,
God promised to spare Sodom if ten righteous people could be found.
God heard and agreed to Abraham's prayers.
Yet, despite Abraham's sincere intercession,
God ultimately destroyed the city because His requirements were not met.
Not even ten righteous people could be found there.
在創世記 18 章 20-21 節中，神與亞伯拉罕分享了祂的計劃，
去參觀所多瑪並檢查其罪惡的程度。
亞伯拉罕為這座城代求六次之後，
神應許如果能找到十個義人，就會饒過所多瑪。
神垂聽並應允了亞伯拉罕的禱告。
然而，儘管亞伯拉罕真誠的代求，
神最終毀滅了這座城市，因為沒有達到祂的要求。
那裡甚至連十個義人都找不到。
Similarly, when our continuous and loving intercessions leave circumstance unchanged,
it may be that those for whom we pray have fallen short of God's grace
(Heb 12:15).
Though God has heard our prayer,
His conditions for bestowing His grace have not been met.
同樣的，當我們持續而充滿愛心的代禱沒有使情況改變時，
也許就是那些我們為之禱告的人虧欠了神的恩典
（來 12：15）。
雖然神聽見了我們的禱告，
而祂要賜下恩典的條件則尚未滿足。
Do We Have Sin? 我們有罪嗎？
And the prayer of faith will save the sick,
and the Lord will raise him up.
And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
Confess your trespasses to one another,
and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
(Jas 5:15–16)
15出於信心的祈禱要救那病人，
主必叫他起來；
他若犯了罪，也必蒙赦免。
16所以你們要彼此認罪，
互相代求，使你們可以得醫治。
義人祈禱所發的力量是大有功效的。
（雅 5：15-16）
We are familiar with the requirement that intercessions be made with faith.
However, we often neglect the second condition affecting the prayer's effectiveness:
the intercessor must be righteous.
If sin remains in us, God will not grant our request.
Sin is the biggest hindrance between man and God,
which is why James tells us to confess our sins and pray for one another
so that we can be forgiven.
Then, God will hear our prayers.
我們很熟悉憑著信心代禱的要求。
然而，我們常常忽略了影響禱告功效的第二個條件：
代禱的人必須是公義的。
如果罪還留在我們身裡，神就不會應允我們的請求。
罪是人與神之間最大的障礙，
這就是為什麼雅各告訴我們，要承認自己的罪並彼此代禱，
使我們才能夠得到寬恕。
然後，神就會垂聽我們的禱告。
Breaking Down the Wall 打破圍牆
A situation that has not improved
despite a long period of intercession
may warrant a deeper discussion by ministers with the individual
to help break down any barriers separating the person from God.
Without removing the wall of sin hindering our prayers,
God will not hear our supplications, no matter how earnest.
情況若沒有改善，
儘管進行了長時間的代禱，
可能會需要負責人與個人進行更深入的討論，
來幫助打破人與神之間的任何阻礙。
如果不除去阻礙我們禱告的罪惡之牆，
無論我們有多麼迫切的懇求，神都不會垂聽。
Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened,
That it cannot save;
Nor His ear heavy,
That it cannot hear.
But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
And your sins have hidden His face from you,
So that He will not hear.
(Isa 59:1–2)
1耶和華的膀臂並非縮短，
不能拯救，
耳朵並非發沉，不能聽見，
2但你們的罪孽使你們與神隔絕；
你們的罪惡使他掩面不聽你們。
（賽 59：1-2）
God is a merciful and loving Father who desires to give grace
(2 Cor 9:8).
But as a just God, He does not remain impervious to sin.
When God appears deaf to our intercessions,
we ought to examine whether sin is in us or those we pray for,
or whether God's conditions for dispensing His grace have been met.
We must encourage one another with the truth to remove sin from our lives
and demolish the wall of separation between man and God.
Only then can we receive God's grace.
神是一位憐慈愛的父親，很想要賜下恩典
（林後 9：8）。
但作為公義的神，祂並非不受罪的影響。
當神對我們的代禱充耳不聞時，
我們應該要檢查，到底我們或自已為之祈禱的人是否有罪，
或者到底神賜下恩典的條件是否已經得到滿足。
我們必須用真理互相鼓勵，以去除自已生活中的罪惡
並拆除人與神之間的隔離牆。
這樣我們才能得到神的恩典。
PRAYING FOR OUR OWN NEEDS 祈求自已的需要
Paul's Thorn in the Flesh 保羅肉體上的刺
Some of us have the experience of praying for a long time
over a personal matter with no resolution.
At best, we wonder what God wants us to learn in such situations.
At worst, we conclude that the cruel God who remains silent
without intervening in our suffering is not worth worshipping.
我們有些人有長時間禱告的經驗，
為了個人問題而無法解決。
情況最好時，我們會想知道神會希望我們在這種情況下學到什麼。
情況最壞時，我們得出結論，殘酷的神一直保持沉默，
在我們的苦難時沒有介入，是不值得崇拜的。
Consider Paul's experience:想想保羅的體驗
And lest I should be exalted above measure
by the abundance of the revelations,
a thorn in the flesh was given to me,
a messenger of Satan to buffet me,
lest I be exalted above measure.
(2 Cor 12:7)
7又恐怕我因所得的啟示甚大，就過於自高，
所以有一根刺加在我肉體上，
就是撒但的差役要攻擊我，
免得我過於自高。
（林後 12：7）
The thorn in Paul's flesh brought great pain and inconvenience.
In the original Greek text of the New Testament,
this "thorn"[1] refers to a sharpened piece of wood,
such as a stake one would drive into the ground when building a fence.
The image of such a thorn impaling Paul's flesh illustrates his immense suffering.
保羅身上的刺給他帶來了極大的痛苦和不便。
在新約聖經的希臘原文中，
這個字“刺”[1]指的是一段削尖的木頭，
例如建造籬笆時將一根木樁打入地下。
刺釘住保羅肉體的景象顯示了他巨大的痛苦。
What could this thorn represent?
Paul mentioned that the Galatian members, witnessing his suffering,
would have plucked out their own eyes to give to him
(Gal 4:15).
He also wrote with large letters
(Gal 6:11).
These suggest that Paul may have had eye problems.
If this was the case, it would have been very arduous for Paul
to travel and pioneer the Gentile regions.
這根刺能代表什麼呢？
保羅提到加拉太的信徒，目睹了他的苦難，
寧願挖出自己的眼睛給他
（加 4：15）。
他還用大寫的字寫下來
（加 6：11）。
這些記載表明了保羅可能有眼睛問題。
如果事情真的是這樣的話，保羅的日子將會很艱辛。
去外邦人的地區旅行和開拓。
Regardless of what the thorn was,
Paul had asked God to remove it
out of a genuine need related to the critical holy work he was doing.
He pleaded three times, fervently beseeching the Lord.
But God's answer was a gentle
—albeit unequivocal
—"No"!
不管這根刺是什麼，
保羅曾經請求神拿掉它，
是出於他與從事的重要聖工有關的真正需要。
他曾三次祈求，迫切懇求主。
但神的回答卻是溫柔的
—不過很明確
—“不”！
And He said to me,
"My grace is sufficient for you,
for My strength is made perfect in weakness."
(2 Cor 12:9)
他對我說，
“9他對我說：
我的恩典夠你用的，
因為我的能力是在人的軟弱上顯得完全。”
（林後 12：9）
Suffering Brings Spiritual Edification 苦難得到屬靈造就
When we are sick or suffering, we often pray as Paul did,
asking God to take away the source of our pain.
But similarly, God's answer to us may not be what we expect.
Thus, when we encounter these challenging situations,
we must consider what spiritual lessons we should learn.
If we trust that God's grace is sufficient for us to overcome the challenge,
it does not matter if the thorn remains.
當我們生病或受苦時，常常會像保羅一樣禱告，
求神除去我們痛苦的根源。
但同樣的，神給我們的回答可能不是我們所想要的。
因此，當我們遇到這些有挑戰的情況時，
我們就必須想想自已應該要學習哪些屬靈的課程。
如果我們相信神的恩典足以讓自已克服挑戰，
不論這根刺是否留著都不重要。
Jesus mentioned that people would say, "Physician, heal yourself!"
(Lk 4:23).
Many came to Paul with ailments,
and some were healed even without the laying of his hands
(Acts 19:11–12).
God's healing power worked mightily through him,
even through his handkerchiefs and aprons.
Because "God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul,"
many deemed him to be a god
(Acts 14:11–15).
But Paul's inability to remove his own thorn
—to heal himself
—was a reminder of his very human frailties, keeping him humble.
Paul even took the pre-emptive step of boasting in his infirmities, not his flesh,
so that others would not esteem him too highly
(2 Cor 12:6).
耶穌提到大家會說：“醫生，你醫治你自己罷！”
（路 4：23）。
許多人帶病來見保羅，
有些人甚至沒有按手就康復了
（徒 19：11-12）。
神醫治的大能透過他大大的工作，
甚至是透過他的手帕和圍裙。
因為“神藉著保羅的手行了不尋常的神蹟”
許多人認為他是神
（徒 14：11-15）。
但保羅卻沒辨法拔除自己的刺，
—治療自己，
—提醒他人性有軟弱，讓他保持謙卑。
保羅甚至先發制人誇耀自已的軟弱，而不是他的肉體，
以免別人對他誇耀
（林後 12:6）。
In addition, Paul's theological insights were direct revelations from God
(Gal 1:12).
The recipient of so many revelations
would surely have been in danger of becoming proud,
even to the extent of expecting special treatment from others.
Again, the thorn in Paul's flesh
reminded him that he was a mere man, not God,
lest he "be exalted above measure by the abundance of revelations"
(2 Cor 12:7).
He came to understand the spiritual cultivation the thorn brought him.
With this heart, he could accept God's will
—whether or not the thorn was taken away, God's grace sufficed.
此外，保羅的神學深刻理解是來自神的直接啟示
（加 1：12）。
領受了很多的啟示，
就很有可能會出現有變驕傲的危險，
甚至會想要得到別人的特殊對待。
再一次，保羅身上的這根刺，
提醒他只是人，而不是神，
免得他“因為大量的啟示而過度受到高舉”
（林後 12：7）。
他漸漸明白了這根刺帶給他屬靈造就。
有了這樣的想法，他就能接受神的旨意，
—無論刺有沒有被拔掉，神的恩典都很足夠。
Today, prayer is the first port of call when we experience suffering.
But if the source of our suffering is not removed,
we should then ask God what He wants us to learn.
Edification in and through trials reinforces our faith and relationship with God.
今日，當我們遇到苦難時，禱告是我們的第一個停靠站。
但如果我們痛苦的根源沒有消除，
那麼我們應該求問神，祂想讓我們學習什麼事。
經過試驗造就可以增強我們的信心以及與神的關係。
PRAYING FOR THE HOLY WORK 為聖工禱告
Receive Strength to Face Difficulties Ahead 得到力量面對前方的困難
Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood,
He Himself likewise shared in the same,
that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death,
that is, the devil.
(Heb 2:14)
14兒女既同有血肉之體，
他也照樣親自成了血肉之體，
特要藉著死敗壞那掌死權的，
就是魔鬼。
（來 2：14）
When Jesus came into the world in the flesh,
He experienced the physical and emotional challenges common to all humankind.
His impending suffering on the cross brought such great distress and sorrow
that He offered up "prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears"
(Heb 5:7; Mk 14:33–34).
He prayed, "Take this cup away from Me,"
requesting that the hour might pass from Him
—to transcend time and avoid the pain and suffering to come
(Mk 14:35–36).
當耶穌以肉身來到世間時，
祂經歷了全人類共同的肉體和情緒挑戰。
祂即將在十字架上承受的苦難帶來很巨大的痛苦和悲傷，
祂呈上“強烈哭聲和淚水的禱告和懇求”
（來 5：7；可 14：33-34）。
祂禱告說：“求你將這杯撤去”
祈求可以從他身上撤去那個時刻，
—可以超越時間，去避免將到的痛苦與磨難
（可 14：35-36）。
Since God did not remove the cup, some may infer that Jesus' prayer was denied.
However, Jesus had also prayed,
"[N]evertheless, not what I will, but what You will"
(Mk 14:35–36).
The Father indeed heard and answered Jesus' prayer
(Heb 5:7).
由於神沒有移走這苦杯，有些人可能會推論耶穌的禱告被拒絕了。
然而，耶穌也曾禱告說：
“36[N]然而，不要從我的意思，只要從你的意思。”
（可 14：35-36）。
天父確實聽到並回應了耶穌的禱告
（來 5：7）。
"Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him."
(Lk 22:43)
“43有一位天使從天上顯現，加添他的力量。”
（路 22：43）
Instead of changing His will,
the Father gave Jesus spiritual strength and courage,
empowering Him to carry out the Father's will.
反而沒有改變祂的想法，
天父給了耶穌屬靈的力量和勇氣，
使他有能力進行天父的旨意。
Wait for God's Time 等候神的時機
Interceding for the holy work in church is aligned with God's will.
Yet, we may see little progress in certain ministries even after many years of prayer.
For example, we pray unceasingly for the evangelism work but see few souls added to the fold.
We must avoid measuring the efficacy of our prayers by specific results.
What is more important is for us, through prayer and intercession,
to gain spiritual strength to continue to do God's work and trust in His timing.
We should not think our petitions are ineffective and give up.
為教會聖工代禱是符合神的旨意。
然而，即使經過了多年的禱告，我們仍看到某些事工沒有取得什麼進展。
例如，我們不斷為傳福音的工作禱告，卻看到很少人加入羊圈。
我們必須避免以具體的成果來衡量禱告的功效。
對我們來說更重要的是，透過祈求和代禱，
可以得到屬靈的力量繼續進行聖工並相信祂的時間安排。
我們不應該認為自已的請求沒有功效而放棄。
When Lazarus fell ill, his sisters, Mary and Martha, quickly sent word to Jesus
(Jn 11:1–3).
They expected Him to come and resolve this problem.
At the time, Jesus was beyond the Jordan, many miles from Bethany.
On receiving the message, He said,
"This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God,
that the Son of God may be glorified through it"
(Jn 11:4).
He then waited two more days before setting off.
Imagine Mary and Martha's anxiety as the hours ticked by.
By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been dead for four days.
Martha told Jesus,
"Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died"
(Lk 11:21).
當拉撒路生病時，他的姊妹馬利亞和馬大迅速送信給耶穌
（約 11：1-3）。
他們期待祂來解決這個問題。
那時，耶穌在約旦河對岸，距離伯大尼有許多哩遠。
一收到了消息，祂說：
“4這病不至於死，乃是為神的榮耀，
叫神的兒子因此得榮耀。”
（約 11：4）。
然後祂又多等了兩天才出發。
隨著時間的流逝，可以想像瑪利亞和瑪大的焦慮。
當耶穌到達時，拉撒路已經死了四天了。
馬大告訴耶穌，
“21主阿，你若早在這裡，我兄弟必不死。”
（路 11：21）。
Why did Jesus not act quickly to prevent Lazarus' death and the sisters' sorrow?
God's time and purpose were revealed when Jesus finally raised Lazarus from the dead.
God intended to resurrect Lazarus for His own glory
and give the disciples a fuller understanding of the Son of God
(Jn 11:4, 15, 40, 42).
Had Jesus healed Lazarus straight away,
they would not have experienced the fullness of God's power and grace;
their knowledge of Christ
—the resurrection and the life
—would have been incomplete
(Jn 11:25–26).
為什麼耶穌沒有馬上行動阻止拉撒路的死亡和這對姊妹的悲傷呢？
當耶穌最後使拉撒路從死裡復活的時候，神的時間和目的就被顯明了。
神為了自己的榮耀，要復活拉撒路，
使門徒對神子有更全面的認識
（約 11：4，15，40，42）。
若耶穌立刻醫治了拉撒路，
他們就不會體驗到一切神的能力和恩典；
他們對基督的認識，
—復活與生命，
—就不會完整
（約 11：25-26）。
We may not always understand God's plan and timing,
but we can trust in His good will for us:
我們可能並不會總能明白神的計劃和時間，
但我們可以相信祂對我們的好意：
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD.
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts."
(Isa 55:8–9)
“8耶和華說：我的意念非同你們的意念；
我的道路非同你們的道路。
9天怎樣高過地，
照樣，我的道路高過你們的道路；
我的意念高過你們的意念。”
（賽 55：8-9）
CONCLUSION 結論
In our faith, as in life,
we are often too anxious and impatient; we desire immediate results.
We pray today and expect God's answer tomorrow.
If our prayers are sincere, but God appears silent or slow to respond,
we should not doubt that He has heard or that He cares.
Instead, we should reflect on whether God's conditions have been met
or if there is sin within us or the person we are interceding for.
If the situation does not change,
perhaps God wants to teach us a particular lesson
or provide us with spiritual edification.
As we pray persistently for ourselves, others, and the church work,
we can entrust all to God's good will and timing.
Even in the face of seemingly insurmountable trials, God will grant us peace.
In turn, we will grow in our spiritual understanding and strength to continue our work.
Importantly, we will bring all glory to God.
在我們的信仰中，就如在生活中一樣，
我們常常太過度焦慮且沒有耐心；我們想要立即取得成果。
我們今天禱告就期待明天神的答覆。
如果我們的禱告很真誠，但神卻保持沉默或反應遲頓，
我們就不應該懷疑祂已經垂聽或祂會關心。
相反的，我們應該反省是否神的條件是否已經達到，
或許我們自已或所代禱的人心裡是否有罪。
若是情況沒有改變的話，
也許神想要給我們一次特殊的教導，
或是帶給我們屬靈的造就。
當我們為自己，別人和教會聖工堅持不懈禱告時，
就可以交託一切相信都是神的美意和時機。
即使面對看似無法克服的考驗時，神也會給予我們平安。
反過來，我們屬靈的理解和力量也會增長，可以繼續自已的工作。
重要的是，我們會將一切榮耀歸給神。
[1] Greek: skolops, σκόλοψ.
[1] 希臘文：skolops，σκόλοψ。
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