祷告学校
路加福音十一章1至13节
1耶稣在一个地方祷告;祷告完了,有个门徒对他说:求主教导我们祷告,像约翰教导他的门徒。
2耶稣说:你们祷告的时候,要说:我们在天上的父(有古卷只作:父阿):愿人都尊你的名为圣。愿你的国降临;愿你的旨意行在地上,如同行在天上(有古卷无愿你的旨意云云)。
3我们日用的饮食,天天赐给我们。
4赦免我们的罪,因为我们也赦免凡亏欠我们的人。不叫我们遇见试探;救我们脱离凶恶(有古卷无末句)。
5耶稣又说:你们中间谁有一个朋友半夜到他那里去,说:朋友!请借给我三个饼;
6因为我有一个朋友行路,来到我这里,我没有甚么给他摆上。
7那人在里面回答说:不要搅扰我,门已经关闭,孩子们也同我在床上了,我不能起来给你。
8我告诉你们,虽不因他是朋友起来给他,但因他情词迫切的直求,就必起来照他所需用的给他。
9我又告诉你们,你们祈求,就给你们;寻找,就寻见;叩门,就给你们开门。
10因为,凡祈求的,就得着;寻找的,就寻见;叩门的,就给他开门。
11你们中间作父亲的,谁有儿子求饼,反给他石头呢?求鱼,反拿蛇当鱼给他呢?
12求鸡蛋,反给他蝎子呢?
13你们虽然不好,尚且知道拿好东西给儿女;何况天父,岂不更将圣灵给求他的人么?
信息分享
门徒所求的,不是要耶稣给他们讲解「如何祷告」的道理,他们是希望耶稣教导他们如何切实地向神祈祷。坊间有很多论及祷告的书籍,我们读后必有裨益。然而,除非我们把学到的道理真正实践出来,否则知道一切道理亦与我们无益。我们阅读园艺或烹饪的书籍也是同一道理:除非我们真正活学活用,否则知道一切理论也对我们无所助益。
究竟甚么是「祷告」?祷告就是与神交谈,换言之,不单是我们向神倾诉,我们也要留心听神对我们说话。祷告的时候,我们要真心诚意地向神剖白我们的心意、我们的生命和我们的境遇。同时,我们也要毫无保留地向神表达我们对祂的爱,并为到祂在我们生命中的一切作为,向祂表示感恩。
祷告可以包含很丰富的内容,但向神发出感谢和赞美,却是绝不可少。当然,我们还可以为到具体的需要向神祈求。总而言之,当我们祷告的时候,我们是来到神的面前「倾心吐意」,就如旧约的哈拿一样(参看撒母耳记上一章15至16节)。
在接着的一个星期,我们将会细心查看圣经之中有关祷告的一些教导。但在开始之前,让我们都像门徒一样,先真诚地请求主:「主啊,求你教导我们祷告。」
THE SCHOOL OF PRAYER
Luke 11: 1 - 13
1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.”
5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves;
6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;
7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’?
8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.
9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?
12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Message
It means not only 'Lord teach us how to pray' but also 'Lord, teach us to do it'. There are a great many books which have been written on prayer and it would help us to read them. But unless we put into practice what we already know or learn, it will not do anything for us. In the same way we could read books on gardening or on farming, but unless we get out and work they will not help us at all.
What do you mean by 'prayer'? It is talking to God, but it also includes listening to him. It is opening our hearts and our lives to him, opening our circumstances to him. It is also telling him of our love and giving him our thanks for what he has done for us.
Prayer means many things but it usually includes thanking God, which is praise, and asking God for something, which is petition. It is also the overflow of our hearts as Hannah said in 1 Samuel 1: 15-16 'I have poured out my soul before the Lord'.
Over the next week or so we will look at some of the things the Bible says about prayer. But could we make this our very sincere request today and for each day of our studies in prayer, 'Lord teach me to pray'? Will you do that now?

