2016年1月7日
從源頭開始 Starting Upstream
读经: 馬太福音6章5-10節
Reading: Matthew 6:5-10
你們沒有祈求以先，你們所需用的，你們的父早已知道了。-馬太福音6章8節
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.- Matthew 6:8
全年读经: 創世記18-19章;馬太福音6章1-18節
Bible in a Year: Genesis 18–19; Matthew 6:1-18
我家位於峽谷的小溪旁。每逢春季融雪或大雨過後，暴漲的溪水便如同滾滾洪流一般，湍急的水勢曾將人溺斃。有一天，我沿著小溪往上游尋找它的源頭，最終來到了白雪皚皚的山頂。在那裡，融化的雪水隨著地勢一路蜿蜒地順流而下，並與其他的水流匯集，最後形成了像我家旁邊那樣的小溪。
這次的經歷，讓我想到自己在禱告時常常弄錯了方向。我總是從下游開始，把憂慮帶到上帝面前。我把一切都告訴上帝，好像祂什麼都不知道一樣。我還祈求上帝，試圖改變祂的心意。然而，我真正該做的其實是向上尋求，找到源頭。
當我們轉向上帝，就會明白祂早就知道我們關心些什麼，如：至親罹患癌症、家庭破裂、兒女叛逆，祂甚至比我們還更在乎這些事。天父知道我們的需要 （馬太福音6章8節） 。
恩典就像水流由上而下，流淌到最低的地方，上帝的憐憫也是如此。因此，我們當先求問上帝，知道自己在祂的計畫中該做些什麼。我們的禱告若是有了新的起點，看法也會改變。看到大自然的景色，就看見造物主的印記。看到人類，就看見有上帝形象、有永生歸屬的人。對上帝的感恩和讚美，也就自然湧流不絕。
主啊，我讚美祢，因祢如此愛我、在乎我。
在我生命當中，怎能沒有祢呢？
我們禱告求上帝供應我們的需要。
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My home sits along a creek in a canyon in the shadow of a large mountain. During the spring snowmelt and after heavy rains this stream swells and acts more like a river than a creek. People have drowned in it. One day I traced the origin of the creek to its very source, a snowfield atop the mountain. From there the melted snow begins the long journey down the mountain, joining other rivulets to take shape as the creek below my house.
It occurs to me, thinking about prayer, that most of the time I get the direction wrong. I start downstream with my own concerns and bring them to God. I inform God, as if God did not already know. I plead with God, as if hoping to change God's mind and overcome divine reluctance. Instead, I should start upstream where the flow begins.
When we shift direction, we realize that God already cares about our concerns—a loved one's cancer, a broken family, a rebellious teenager—more than we do. Our Father knows what we need (Matt. 6:8).
Grace, like water, descends to the lowest part. Streams of mercy flow. We begin with God and ask what part we can play in His work on earth. With this new starting point for prayer, our perceptions change. We look at nature and see the signature of the grand Artist. We look at human beings and see individuals of eternal destiny made in God's image. Thanksgiving and praise surge up to Him as a natural response.
Dear Lord, I praise You for loving and caring for me so much. What would I ever do without You?
Prayer channels God's supply to our needs.