88. 禱吿Prayer
作者: 史鮑爾 (R.C. Sproul) 譯者: 姚錦榮
摘自《神學入門》《Essential Truths of the Christian Faith》233頁, 更新傳道會出版
我們能向神說話。神是藉著聖經以言語方式向我們說話，神也藉著祂明顯的天命以非言語方式向我們說話，而我們則藉著禱告與神相交。何治 （Charles Hodge) 說：「禱告是我們的靈魂與神談話。」藉著禱告，我們向神表達尊崇和敬畏；借著禱告，我們敞開自己的靈魂，向神認罪；借著禱告，我們傾出心中的感恩，並向祂祈求。
從禱告中我們親身經歷神及祂的大能，祂聽我們，也回應我們。聖經教導我們神全權預定一切，但也同時教導我們禱告的功效。這二者並無矛盾，因為神能夠同時命定事情的結果和成事的方法，而禱告就是神使用來成就祂全權旨意的一種方法。
禱告只可以向神發出，可向三位一體的神，或是向三位一體中的任何一個位格禱告。若是向受造之物禱告，便等於在拜偶像。
正確的禱告有幾項先決條件。第一就是當誠心，空洞和不誠心的禱告，是對神的一種侮辱。這種禱告絕不代表敬虔的宗教操練，而是得罪神的行為。
第二就是存著敬畏的心。禱告時我們必須記得是向誰說話，如果我們以隨便而輕怱的態度向神說話，一如和世上的朋友談笑一般，便是輕慢神。世人在君王面前必須莊重謹慎，更何況我們來到至高神面前。
第三項先決條件與前兩項也類似，就是謙卑的態度。我們不單要記得祂是誰，也要記得我們是誰和自己的身分。我們是神所接納的兒女，但也是有罪的受造者。祂邀請我們放膽地來到祂面前，但絕不是驕傲地前來。
神教導我們要本著虔誠和熱切的心尋求祂，但同時也要我們頤服祂。說願你的旨意成就，並不是沒有信心的表現。我們禱告的信心，必須包括相信神聽禱告，而且也相信神願意回答我們的禱告。當神不應允我們的禱告時，這種信心則能使我們信靠祂的智慧。每一個向神禱告的人，都應該完全地信賴神的智慧和祂的恩慈。
我們奉耶穌的名禱告，因為我們接受祂是中保。祂以大祭司的身分為我們代禱，而聖靈則是我們禱告的幫助者。
學習禱告時應記著以下幾個英文母（ACTS）所代表的意義：
A＝Adoration讚美
C＝Confession認罪
T＝Thanksgiving感恩
S＝Supplication懇求
我們可藉這四個英文字母，將所有禱告的內容都包括在內。
總結：
1．禱告乃是與神相交。
2．禱告只可以向神發出。
3．禱告必須存著誠心、敬畏的心和謙卑的態度。
4. 神命令我們必須懇切、恒久地禱告。
5．有信心的禱告乃是全然相信神的智慧與恩慈。
6．ACTS這四個字母所代表的意義，可幫助我們學習禱告。
思考經文：
詩5 ：1-3；約 14 : 13- 14；羅8 ：26-27；腓4 ：6-7；約壹5:14-15
PRAYER
We are able to talk to God.
He speaks verbally to us in His Word and nonverbally through His obvious
providence. We commune with Him through prayer. Charles Hodge declared that
“prayer is the converse of the soul with God.” In and through prayer we express
our reverence and adoration for God; we bare our souls in contrite confession
before Him; we pour out the thanksgiving of grateful hearts; and we offer our
petitions and supplications to Him.
In prayer we experience God
as personal and powerful. He can hear us and act in response. The Scripture
teaches both the sovereign foreordination of God and the efficacy of prayer.
The two are not inconsistent with one another, for God ordains the means as
well as the ends for His divine purposes. Prayer is a means God uses to bring
His sovereign will to pass.
Prayer is to be addressed to
God alone, either to God as Triune or to the distinct persons of the Godhead.
To pray to creatures is idolatry.
Proper prayer has several
requisites. The first is that we approach God with sincerity. Empty and
insincere phrases are a mockery to Him. Such
prayer, far from being an
exercise of godly religion, is an offense against God.
The second is that we
approach God with reverence. In prayer we must always remember to whom we are
speaking. To address God in a cavalier, casual, or flippant manner, as we might
speak with our earthly friends, is to treat Him with the contempt of
familiarity. As people pay homage to a king by entering his presence with a
posture of respect and obeisance, so we come before God in full recognition of
His supreme majesty.
The third requisite, which
follows from the previous ones, is that we approach God in humility. Not only
must we remember who He is, but we must also remember who and what we are. We
are His adopted children. We are also sinful creatures. He invites us to come
boldly before Him, but never arrogantly.
God instructs us to be
earnest and fervent in our requests. At the same time, we come in willful
submission. To say “Your will be done” is not an indication of a lack of faith.
The faith we bring to prayer must include a trust that God is able to hear our
prayers and that He is disposed to answer them. Yet when God says no to our
requests, this faith also trusts in His wisdom. God’s wisdom and benevolence
must always and everywhere be assumed by those who entreat Him with petitions.
We pray in the name of Jesus
because we do thereby acknowledge His office as Mediator. As our High Priest,
Christ is our intercessor even as the Holy Spirit is our helper in prayer.
A helpful tool in learning to
pray is the acrostic A-C-T-S. Each letter in the acrostic indicates a vital
element of prayer.
A = Adoration C = Confession T = Thanksgiving S =
Supplication
By following this simple
acrostic we are sure to include all of the proper elements of prayer.
Summary
1. Prayer is communion with
God.
2. Prayer is to be addressed
to God alone.
3. Prayer must be sincere,
reverent, and humble.
4. We are commanded to be
fervent and persistent in prayer.
5. The prayer of faith is a
prayer trusting in God’s wisdom and kindness.
6. The acrostic ACTS is an
aid to prayer.
Biblical passages for
reflection:
Psalm 5:1-3 John 14:13-14
Romans 8:26-27 Philippians 4:6-7 1 John 5:14-15
