用“祷告”书写我们的人生故事
作者：Kara Noel Lawson 翻译：沈亦蓉 来源：homefrontmag
“我们若照他的旨意求什么，他就听我们，这是我们向他所存坦然无惧的心。”（约翰一书5:14）
在我上高中时，我教会的小组长送给我一本祷告日记本。它的形式很简单——在页面右侧记录祷告的日期和内容，然后，当我的祷告被回应时，在页面左侧记录日期和上帝的回应方式。
我的每个祷告都很简单。
我为我在下一场考试能考好而祷告；
我为生病的家人祷告；
我为能邀请到朋友们来参加我的青年小组而祷告。
我的祷告讲述了我的人生故事。
从高中至今已有近20年了，我仍然保存着各种各样的祷告日记本。我有一本五年日记本：每一页的最上方是日期，关于我的每一天我都会写几句话。在第二年的同一天，在同一页上我记录我的家人当天做了什么。五年后，我会看这些记录着的日期，看看我们在那些特定的日子里都做了什么。
我正处在这本祷告日记本的第三年，当我回顾我的生活是如何改变的，我幡然醒悟…三天前，关于我们最大的孩子学业的问题，我丈夫和我都不知怎么办才好。他在学习功课上很落后。他的哮喘很严重，以至于他错过了近两个月的课程。回头看这个阶段，从我祷告的话语就可以知道当时我有多绝望。
这个故事仍在继续，我对主的呼求变得更加迫切时，上帝引导我们参加教会的一个祷告之夜活动。那天晚上是两个月来的第一晚，我们不必给儿子做呼吸治疗。第二天，我们的专家医生震惊地发现我们儿子的哮喘病已经完全痊愈了。在那个祷告之夜之后，上帝对我们的儿子来说变得如此真实，之后一个月我的儿子受洗了。
学校对我们的家庭来说仍然是一场巨大的争战，我们再一次通过祷告寻求主的旨意。再一次，上帝把对的人带入到我们的生活。现在我正负责运营一个蓬勃发展的在家教育共学社。而这绝对不是我祷告事项中最重要的一件事。
上帝不仅使用我们儿子的哮喘病使我们更亲近他，他也改变了我们家庭生活的轨迹。上帝通过祷告指引我们前面的道路，按照他的旨意书写我们家庭的故事。
我深深盼望我孩子的人生故事能够被他们的祷告所指引。
我盼望当他们回头看他们曲折的人生故事时，会看到在每种情况下上帝大能的手。
我盼望他们看到自己属于一个更大、更 46 32172 46 14939 0 0 1673 0 0:00:19 0:00:08 0:00:11 2978要的上帝的故事的一部分。
上帝在我们家庭经历艰难时与我们同行，并通过创造最美妙的人生故事的方式来回应我们的祷告。我经常好奇人生下一篇章会发生什么，但是我深知一件事：这将会是一个比我所能撰写出的更好的故事！
通过制作一本祷告日记画画本来帮助你的小小孩看到他们的祷告会是一个更大的故事的一部分。无论祷告内容的大小，每周请你的孩子画一张画来描绘他们的祷告内容，然后在画的背面写下祷告内容并和他一起祷告。每个星期，当你制作新的祷告日记画画本时，可以回看上一周的祷告内容。不要忘记为每个祷告内容写上日期。大一点的孩子可以在特别的日记本中写下他们的祷告。然后，当上帝回应他们的祷告时，让每个故事以它完美的方式展开吧。
Our Prayers Write Our Stories
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” — 1 John 5:14
When I was in high school, my church small group leader gave me a prayer journal. The concept was simple— I would record the date and my prayer request on the right side of the page, then, when my prayer was answered, I would record the date and how it was answered on the left hand side.
My prayers were simple.
I prayed to do well on my next test. I prayed for sick family members. I prayed about inviting friends to my youth group.
My prayers told the story of my life.
Almost 20 years have passed since high school (gasp!) and I still keep a prayer journal of sorts. I have a five-year journal: each page has the date at the top, and every day I write a few sentences about my day. The following year on that same date, I record what my family did that day on the same page. In five years I’ll be able to look at any given date and see what we did that particular day.
I’m in the third year of this journal, and it’s eye-opening to look back and see how my life has changed. Three Mays ago, my husband and I were at a loss for what to do about school for our oldest child. He was very behind academically. His asthma was so severe he had missed almost two months of class. Looking back at my entries, I can see the hopelessness in my words. As the story unfolded and my cries to the Lord became more urgent, God guided us to a prayer night at our church. That night was the first night in two months we didn’t have to do breathing treatments. And the next day our specialist was shocked to see our son’s asthma episode was completely over. God became real to our son after that prayer night, and he was baptized the next month.
School was still a huge struggle for our family, and again we sought the Lord’s will through prayer. And again, God brought just the right people into our lives. Now I’m running a thriving homeschool co-op! And that’s one thing that was most definitely NOT at the top of my prayer requests.
Not only did God use our son’s asthma to bring us closer to Him, He changed the course of our family’s life. Through prayer, God directed our path and wrote our family’s story according to His will!
I want so desperately for my children’s life stories to be guided by their prayers.
I want them to look back at the twists and turns in their stories and see God’s mighty hand in each situation.
I want them to see that they are part of a bigger, more important story—God’s story.
God has walked my family through difficult times and answered our prayers in ways that have created the most beautiful stories. I often wonder what the next chapter will bring, but I know one thing: it’s a better story than I could ever write!
Help your young children see how their prayers are part of a bigger story by creating a Picture Prayer Journal. Weekly, have your child draw a picture to represent their prayer requests, no matter how big or small. Then write their prayer on the back of the picture and pray together. Every week, revisit the requests as you make new ones. Don’t forget to write the date for each prayer request. Older children can write their prayers in a special journal. Then watch as God answers their prayers and lets each story unfold in His perfect way!
他们的故事正在继续，你的呢？
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