This article is a part of a series called “Spiritual Waimai Voices” where we welcome our friends to share some spiritual food with us in their own voice. This Spiritual Waimai was written and recorded by our friend Noah. This message is a part of a series entitled “The Father’s Heart” where Noah shares with us lessons he has learned about his Heavenly Father through his experiences raising his own two young children.
本文是《属灵外卖之声》系列文章之一，该系列里我们欢迎朋友们用自己的声音来分享灵粮。这篇属灵外卖的写作来自我们的朋友Noah。本文是《属灵外卖之声》系列文章之一，该系列里我们欢迎朋友们用自己的声音来分享灵粮。这篇属灵外卖的写作和录音均来自我们的朋友Noah。
中文和英文版本语音
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When prayer goes unanswered, do you trust the Father’s plan?
在你的祷告未得应允的时候，你依然会相信天父的计划吗？
To begin this article, would you pray with me?
在文章开始之前，你愿意和我一起祷告吗？
Dear God, please give me a big house close to my work so that we can host all our brothers and sisters on Sunday. Amen.
亲爱的上帝，请在南山给我一个大房子，这样我就可以邀请弟兄姐妹周末来聚会了。阿们门。
Do I have a house yet? No?
我现在有房子了吗？还没有吧？
Ok, let’s pray again.
那让我们再祷告一次。
Dear God, by faith I thank you for giving me a big house close to my work to host our brothers and sisters on Sunday. Amen.
亲爱的上帝，凭着信心我感谢你已经在南山赐给了我一个房子，这样我就可以邀请弟兄姐妹们周末来聚会了。阿们。门
Do I have a house now? Seems not.
现在有房子了吧？好像还没有。
Ok, so let’s quote some Bible:
那这次，我们来引用一个经文：
It is said in the Bible: Matthew 7:8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. And you are a God who keeps promise, now I ask for a big house near my work so that we can host our brothers and sisters on Sunday, in Jesus name we pray.
经上记着说，在马太福音七章八节，因为凡祈求的，就得著；寻找的，就寻见；叩门的，就给他开门。你是信实的神，现在我向你祈求，在再南山赐我一所个大房子，离工作单位也很近，这样我就邀请弟兄姐妹周末来聚会了。奉封主住耶稣的名祷告。
Do I have a house near my work already? I guess not yet.
我已经在工作单位附近工作附近的地方有房子了吗？我猜还没有。
Maybe not long enough? Ok, let’s pray longer…
或许是祷告不够长？好，那么我们祷告时间长一点。
God give me a house, God give me a house, God give me a house. . .
上帝赐我一所个房子，上帝赐我一所个房子，上帝赐我一所个房子…
Does this kind of prayer sound familiar? What went wrong here? Let’s keep the questions in mind for now.
这种祷告听起来耳熟码？有什么问题吗？让我们先记下来这个问题。
A conversion between a father and a son in real life
现实一段生活中父与子的对话
One night, it was 10:00 pm and my son and I had already brushed our teeth and gotten ready for bed. My son asked me, “Daddy I want some candy.” But candy is not good for his teeth so I told him no. He said, “I want some candy!” I said no. He said, “I want some candy!” I said no. He said, “I want some candy.” I didn’t answer him this time and tried to ignore him because I was focusing on my work. My son didn’t give up. He kept saying the same thing until I yelled at him, “NO！?” He was not ready for that and he started to cry.
有一天，已经晚上10点了，我和我的儿子已经刷完牙准备上床睡觉了。我儿子问我：“爸爸，我想要吃糖。” 但是这个时间吃糖对他的牙齿有坏处，我就拒绝了他。他接着说：“我想要吃糖”。我又说：“不行”。他再接着说要吃糖，我再一次说不行。他又接着说要糖吃，这次我没有回应他，我开始忽视他的请求，因为我还有些工作在做。我儿子没有放弃，一直反反复复在反复说说要糖吃，直到然后我突然向他吼了起来大喊，“不行！”。他没料到会这样心理上还没准备好，然后开始放声大哭。就哭了。
Does this sound familiar to all the parents?
所有家长都应该有类似的经历。
Because my son was crying, it touched me. It inspired me that moment, I felt the Holy Spirit was teaching me a lesson. A Bible verse came into my head:
也许是儿子的眼泪触动了我，那一刻我有了一些想法，我觉得，圣灵想要教给我一个功课。一节经文出现在我脑中：
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Matthew 6:7
Mat 6:7 你们祷告，不可像外邦人，用许多重复话，他们以为话多了必蒙垂听。
A young man praying for love
一个为爱情祈祷的年轻人
About 10 years ago I was a young man that enjoyed going to Bible studies all over the city. I connected with people from many different denominations. One of the teachings I heard on prayer at that time was patterned after Jacob wrestling with God. The teaching said that we should take the attitude of Jacob who would not let go of God until he received the blessing. Jacob was a man would go after the blessing at any cost, the teaching said that we should be the same and eagerly pray for the things we did not yet have. As a young man, I took this idea and prayed for one thing.
十年前，我还是一个在我居住的城市里 在城里到处找圣经学习查经小组的年轻人。那时候我认识了许多人，他们来自许多不同的教派。我记得那个时候，我接受过一个教导就是祷告要像向雅各一样和神摔跤。教导里面说，我们应该学习雅各的态度，不接受祝福就不让神离开。雅各是一个不计一切代价都要和神要祝福的人，我们的也应行该迫切和持续地为我们还没得到应允的祷告持续祷告。作为一个年轻人，遵从着这样的教导，我开始为一件事开始祷告了。
I was pursuing a girl during that time. I prayed for the relationship for 3 years with all the type of the prayer I knew but she rejected me – regardless of all of my Jacob-like prayers.
那个时候我在追一个女孩，我为我们之间的关系祷告了三年，用尽了我知道的一切的祷告的方法，但是她还是拒绝我，无论我怎么像雅各一样祷告。
Now when I look at my wife and children, I am so grateful that God didn’t answer my prayer for that other girl. He didn’t answer regardless of how hard I tried and how many words I prayed.
但是现在，回过头来看，在我看到我漂亮的妻子和孩子，我真心感谢神没有应允我那时候为那个女孩的祷告，无论我怎样祷告，无论我祷告了多少。
Vain repetitions
许多重复无益话的重复
In the Old Testament, Elijah went head-to-head in a prayer battle with the prophets of Baal. He challenged them to pray to Baal to send fire from heaven to consume a sacrifice. He would do the same praying to Jehovah to send fire from heaven to consume Elijah’s sacrifice. The one who responded to the prayers and sent the fire from heaven would demonstrate that he was the true God.
在旧约里，以利亚曾和有一次和巴力的祭司们面对面地进行祷告争战。有过一次直接的祷告征战。他向像巴力的祭司们他们挑战，让使他们向巴力祷告来降火烧掉祭品。以利亚则会向耶和华神祷告来降火烧掉他的祭品。那哪位个垂听祷告并且烧毁神可以烧掉祭物品的神就是真神。
Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire¡ªhe is God.” Then all the people said, “What you say is good.” Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” (1Kings 18:24-27 NIV)
“你们求告你们神的名，我也求告耶和华的名。那降火显应的神，就是神。”」众民回答说：“「这话甚好。”」 以利亚对巴力的先知说：“「你们既是人多，当先挑选一只牛犊，预备好了，就求告你们神的名，却不要点火。”」 他们将所得的牛犊预备好了，从早晨到午间，求告巴力的名说：“「巴力啊，求你应允我们！”」却没有声音，没有应允的。他们在所筑的坛四围踊跳。 到了正午，以利亚嬉笑他们，说：“「大声求告吧！因为他是神，他或默想，或走到一边，或行路，或睡觉，你们当叫醒他。”」列王纪上18：24-27
The prophets of Baal prayed: “Baal, answer us!” from Morning till noon. In Hebrew for “Baal, answer us” is “LeMor OBaal”. This is not a long sentence. Takes 5 seconds at most to say. So we say that morning is 8:00 am, that means they prayed for 4 hours which is 3600 seconds. That means they repeated their prayer to Baal about 2880 times. Wow. No wonder Baal did not answer them! Elijah then taunted their vain repetitions.
巴力的祭司祷告说，“巴力啊，求你应允我们！”，从早上到正午晚上。希伯来语里这句话是“LeMor OBaal”。不是一个很长的句子。最多5秒钟就能说完。所以他们从早上8点到12点祷告4个小时，每个小时3600秒。这么算来有2880次祷告。哇，难怪巴力不会答应他们。伊利亚嘲笑他们的无意义的重复祷告。
At noon Elijah began to taunt them, “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping an must be awakened.” 1 Kings 18:27
到了正午，以利亚嬉笑他们，说：“「大声求告吧！因为他是神，他或默想，或走到一边，或行路，或睡觉，你们当叫醒他。”」列王纪上 18：27
If you think our God is not paying attention to you, or he is not able, you may pray using vain repetition like the prophets of Baal did. If you think our God doesn’t know things as you do, you may need to do something to remind him or get his attention.
如果你也认为神没有在意你，或者没有能力注意你，那么你可能也会像巴黎的祭司一样用 在做徒劳于多重复重复的的话祷告。如果你认为神不如你到知道的东西多，那么你可能会故意去提醒祂，使祂注意你。
He knows
祂知晓一切
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
Matthew 6:31-32 NIV
所以，不要忧虑说：吃什么？喝什么？穿什么？ 这都是外邦人所求的，你们需用的这一切东西，你们的天父是知道的。 (马太福音 6:31-32)
The Father knows that what you need just like I know what my son needs how to protect his teeth from cavities.
正如我知道如何帮助我的孩子保护牙齿，天父也知道你的所需。
Do you have any prayer requests that God has still not answered? I do. But I’ve learned now to not come to God with vain repetitions like I used when I was a young man. Now I pray, “Father, I know you have given me the best and you love me. I lay these things at your feet. Let things be done not as I will but as you will. Give me strength to insist on the right things and courage to give up the wrong things and the wisdom to know the difference between the two.”
你还有什么祷告是神还没有回应的吗？我有。但是我现在学会了不要和我以前一样，向神用无意义的重复话来祷告。 现在我会祷告，“天父啊，我知道你已经赐给我了最好的，你爱我。我将一切放在你脚前。愿你的旨意成就，而不是照我的意思。给我力量来坚持正确的事，给我勇气放弃错误的事，给我智慧来区分它们分别两种事的不同。”
Getting back to my son and his love of candy. He now understands that candy is not good for his teeth and he now teaches his little sister this fact. Whenever he teaches his sister things like this that he has learned from me, I am very happy and reward them both with candy. Just not at bedtime!
现在再在来讲我儿子和他所喜爱钟爱的糖的故事。现在他知道到糖对他的牙齿不好，并且他也会把这件事教给他妹妹。每次他教导他妹妹他学到的，我会很高兴地的奖励他们糖吃。只要不在睡觉前就好。
