神的异象
祷告反映我们的内心
经文
但以理书九1-19
1玛代族亚哈随鲁的儿子大利乌立为迦勒底国的王元年，
2就是他在位第一年，我但以理从书上得知耶和华的话临到先知耶利米，论耶路撒冷荒凉的年数，七十年为满。
3我便禁食，披麻蒙灰，定意向主神祈祷恳求。
4我向耶和华我的神祈祷、认罪，说：主啊，大而可畏的神，向爱主、守主诫命的人守约施慈爱。
5我们犯罪作孽，行恶叛逆，偏离你的诫命典章，
6没有听从你仆人众先知奉你名向我们君王、首领、列祖，和国中一切百姓所说的话。
7主啊，你是公义的，我们是脸上蒙羞的；因我们犹大人和耶路撒冷的居民，并以色列众人，或在近处，或在远处，被你赶到各国的人，都得罪了你，正如今日一样。
8主啊，我们和我们的君王、首领、列祖因得罪了你，就都脸上蒙羞。
9主我们的神是怜悯饶恕人的，我们却违背了他，
10也没有听从耶和华我们神的话，没有遵行他藉仆人众先知向我们所陈明的律法。
11以色列众人都犯了你的律法，偏行、不听从你的话；因此，在你仆人摩西律法上所写的咒诅和誓言都倾在我们身上，因我们得罪了神。
12他使大灾祸临到我们，成就了警戒我们和审判我们官长的话；原来在普天之下未曾行过像在耶路撒冷所行的。
13这一切灾祸临到我们身上是照摩西律法上所写的，我们却没有求耶和华我们神的恩典，使我们回头离开罪孽，明白你的真理。
14所以耶和华留意使这灾祸临到我们身上，因为耶和华我们的神在他所行的事上都是公义；我们并没有听从他的话。
15主我们的神啊，你曾用大能的手领你的子民出埃及地，使自己得了名，正如今日一样。我们犯了罪，作了恶。
16主啊，求你按你的大仁大义，使你的怒气和忿怒转离你的城耶路撒冷，就是你的圣山。耶路撒冷和你的子民，因我们的罪恶和我们列祖的罪孽被四围的人羞辱。
17我们的神啊，现在求你垂听仆人的祈祷恳求，为自己使脸光照你荒凉的圣所。
18我的神啊，求你侧耳而听，睁眼而看，眷顾我们荒凉之地和称为你名下的城。我们在你面前恳求，原不是因自己的义，乃因你的大怜悯。
19求主垂听，求主赦免，求主应允而行，为你自己不要迟延。我的神啊，因这城和这民都是称为你名下的。
信息分享
在思考神高高在上的形象时，我们必须小心，不能将祂想像为不同等级的生物中最高级的一种，由单细胞生物一直向上发展，譬如说由鱼到鸟，再到人，到天使，到天使长，然后是神。这样只不过是视神为卓越，或者甚至是在卓越之上，而实际上神远远不仅是这样，祂是高高在上的超越。
神与所有的被造物不同。祂在天使长之上，就好像祂在单细胞的阿米巴原虫之上一样，因为区分阿米巴原虫和天使长之间的界限是有限的，但区分神和天使长的界线却是无限的。阿米巴原虫和天使长虽然在受造物中相距甚远，但他们同样是受造物，是属于同一个类别，就是被神学家称为「不是神」的类别──与神相隔着「无限」的距离。
哪怕是漫不经心地阅读圣经的人，都会留意到那些十分认识神的人对神均怀有崇敬的态度。这在神百姓的祷告中可以明显的看到──今天但以理这个祷告就是一个例子。如果你想知道人们怎样看神，那么聆听他们的祷告吧！有趣的是，我们看到那些十分认识神的人，总是以承认祂的伟大开始。他们知道当他们把神放在恰当的地位时，其他一切就可能都处于恰当的位置。
「凡亲近神的人，都懂得承认神的伟大」
进深研究
尼一1-11；尼四1-15；尼九32
1. 尼希米对神有甚么看法？
2. 这怎样影响城墙的重建？
祈祷
神啊，破晓的晨光在逐渐的显现。我想，要是人们不把您放在恰当的位置，其他的一切都会出轨。神啊您可以没有我，但没有您我就没有希望了。求您帮助我永不要忘记这点。奉主耶稣的圣名祈求。阿们。
The Vision of God
Our prayers reveal us
Bible reading:
Daniel 9:1-19
1 In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes[a] (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian[b] kingdom—
2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.
3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: "Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,
5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.
6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.
7 "Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you.
8 We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you.
9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him;
10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets.
11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. "Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you.
12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem.
13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth.
14 The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.
15 "Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong.
16 Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.
17 "Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary.
18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.
19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name."
Message
When dwelling on the fact that God is "high and exalted" we must be careful not to think of Him as highest in an ascending order of beings, starting with a single cell and going on up from, say, a fish to a bird, to a man, to an angel, to an archangel, and then - God. This would be to see God merely as eminent, perhaps even pre-eminent. He is so much more than that. He is transcendent.
That means He stands apart from creation. He is as high above an archangel as He is above an amoeba, for the gulf that separates the amoeba from the archangel is finite, whereas the gulf separating God from an archangel is infinite. The amoeba and the archangel, though far removed from one another in the scale of created things, are, nevertheless, one in that they are both created. They belong in the category of what one theologian describes as "that which is not God" - separated from God by infinitude itself.
Even a casual reader of the Scriptures could not help but notice that those who appear to have a great knowledge of God have lofty thoughts concerning Him. This comes out most clearly in the prayers of God's people - Daniel's prayer which we have ready today being just one example. If you want to know how a person views God, listen to him or her pray! It's interesting to note that those who know God intimately invariably begin by acknowledging His greatness. They know that when they accord God His rightful place then it is more likely that everything else will be put in its rightful place.
"Those who know God intimately acknowledge His greatness"
Prayer
O God, slowly the light is dawning - when You are not accorded Your rightful place then nothing else is in place. You can get along without me, but I can't get along without You. Help me never to forget this. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
Further study
Nehemiah 1:1-11; 4:1-15; 9:32
1. What was Nehemiah's view of God?
2. How did this affect the rebuilding of the wall?
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