【诗116:1-2】我爱耶和华，因为他听了我的声音和我的恳求。他既向我侧耳，我一生要求告他。【Psalm 116:1–2】I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because He has inclined His ear to me, I will call upon Him as long as I live.

诗篇116 篇是一首感恩诗。诗人曾经历了极大的危难，在死亡的威胁中呼求神，蒙神拯救之后，心里涌流出对神的爱和感恩。Psalm 116 is a psalm of thanksgiving. The psalmist had gone through great danger and cried out to God under the threat of death. After experiencing God’s deliverance, his heart overflowed with love and gratitude towards Him.

经文一开始，诗人就说：我爱耶和华。他爱神，不只是因为神应允了他的祷告，更是因为他在祷告中真实经历了神—祂不是一位遥远冷漠、不关心人痛苦，而是一位向我们侧耳的神，就像一位慈爱的父亲一样，留心倾听我们的声音，密切关注着我们的恳求。祂有恩惠、有公义、并以怜悯为怀。At the very beginning, the psalmist says: “I love the Lord.” He loves God not simply because God answered his prayer, but because through prayer he truly experienced God—He is not distant, cold, or unconcerned about human suffering, but a God who inclines His ear towards us. Like a loving Father, He listens carefully to our voices and pays close attention to our pleas. He is gracious, righteous, and full of compassion.

我们爱神，是因为神先爱了我们。耶稣基督在十字架上的救赎，就是神爱我们的明证。祂把我们从罪和死亡中拯救出来，也呼召我们用一生回应祂的爱，甘心遵行祂的话，信靠祂。We love God because He first loved us. The redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ on the cross is the clearest proof of God’s love for us. He has rescued us from sin and death, and He also calls us to respond to His love with our whole lives, willingly obeying His Word and trusting in Him.

所以诗人说：我一生要求告祂。他经历神的拯救之后，并不是只是感谢神，然后继续过自己的生活。而是决定，只要我活着，就要一生呼求祂，依靠祂。So the psalmist says: “I will call upon Him as long as I live.” After experiencing God’s deliverance, he does not simply thank God and then carry on with his own life. Instead, he decides that as long as he lives, he will keep calling upon God and depending on Him. 求告神，不仅仅是为了在危机中得到帮助，找到解决问题的方法，更是为了与这位爱我们的神保持亲密的连结，一种生命的状态。Calling upon God is not only about receiving help in a crisis or finding a way through a problem; it is also about staying closely connected with the God who loves us—a way of life.  

有时候，祂改变环境，但有时候，祂不这么做，祂改变我们面对环境的心；有时候祂立刻回答，有时候祂让我们等候。但无论祂怎样回应，我们都可以相信，祂有无比的智慧，没有忽略过我们任何一次的呼求。Sometimes He changes our circumstances, but sometimes He does not; instead, He changes our hearts in the way we face them. Sometimes He answers straight away, and sometimes He asks us to wait. But no matter how He responds, we can trust that His wisdom is beyond measure and that He has never overlooked a single one of our cries.

今天，我们也需要问自己：我是否也曾在绝望和无助中呼求神，并经历祂的拯救？我也是这样爱主的吗？我的祷告只是为了得到神的帮助，还是为了更深地认识这位听我祷告的神? Today, we also need to ask ourselves: Have I ever cried out to God in despair and helplessness and experienced His deliverance? Do I love the Lord in this same way? Are my prayers only about receiving God’s help, or are they also about knowing more deeply the God who hears my prayers? 当祂用“等候”或“不”来回应我时，我是否依然愿意信靠祂？诗人说：我爱耶和华。愿这也成为我们生命真实的宣告。When He answers me with “wait” or “no”, am I still willing to trust Him? The psalmist says: “I love the Lord.” May this also become the genuine declaration of our lives.

祷告 | Prayer

天父，感谢祢是听我呼求的神。谢谢祢差遣独生爱子耶稣基督为我降生、受死，替我承担了罪与死亡的剧痛，将我从极深的罪恶与绝望中拯救出来。Heavenly Father, thank You that You are the God who hears my cries. Thank You for sending Your one and only beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be born for me and to die for me, bearing in my place the terrible pain of sin and death, and rescuing me from the depths of sin and despair.

求圣灵天天更新我，使我不把祢的恩典视为理所当然。帮助我不要在遇到困难时才想起祢，而是让我的每一天、每一个决定，都藉着祷告交托在祢的手中。教导我成为一个常求告祢的人，不只是求祢为我做什么，更是让我渴望亲近祢、认识祢、爱祢。May the Holy Spirit renew me every day so that I do not take Your grace for granted. Help me not to remember You only when I face difficulties, but to entrust every day and every decision into Your hands through prayer. Teach me to become someone who continually calls upon You—not only asking what You can do for me, but longing to draw near to You, know You, and love You.

奉耶稣的名求，阿们。In Jesus’ name, Amen.

（Sister Peace）