上帝的爱不受限于我们的言语。

May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you. Psalm 33:22

耶和华啊，求祢照着我们所仰望祢的，向我们施行慈爱。-诗篇33篇22节

Not long ago I sent my wife, Cari, a text message using only voice prompts. I was on my way out the door to give her a ride home from work and intended to send the words, “Where would you like me to pick you up, old gal?”

不久前，我用语音输入法发了一封简讯给我的妻子凯莉。当时，我正准备出门接她下班回家，我想要发简讯问她：“妳要我在哪里接妳，老妞儿？”

Cari doesn’t mind my calling her “old gal”—it’s one of the affectionate nicknames we use around the house. But my cell phone didn’t “understand” the phrase, and sent the words “old cow” instead.

凯莉不会介意我叫她“老妞儿”，这是我们在家常用的昵称。但我的手机“不懂”这个词汇，结果在简讯中出现“老牛儿”这个词语。

Fortunately for me, Cari immediately understood what had happened and found it funny. She later posted my text message on social media and asked, “Should I be offended?” We were both able to laugh about it.

还好凯莉立刻明白其中的关键，而且觉得这很有趣。后来她还把这个简讯放在社群媒体上，问说：“我应该生气吗？”其实我们两个都觉得很好笑。

My wife’s loving response to my awkward words that day makes me think about God’s loving understanding of our prayers. We may not know what to say when we pray or even what to ask for, but when we belong to Christ, His Spirit within “intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26) and lovingly helps us articulate our deepest needs before Him.

在那天，我的妻子以爱回应我笨拙的用语，让我想到上帝也是以爱理解我们的祷告。我们祷告的时候，可能不知道该说什么，甚或不知该如何祈求，但当我们属乎基督，圣灵就会“亲自用说不出来的叹息替我们祷告”（罗马书8章26节），并且祂还会慈爱地帮助我们，在上帝面前明确表达我们最深切的需要。

Our heavenly Father doesn’t stand at a distance waiting for us to get our words right. We can come to Him with every need, assured that He understands and receives us with love.

我们的天父上帝并非远远地站着，等我们把话讲清楚。相反地，我们可以将各样的需要带到祂面前，确知祂深爱我们、了解并接纳我们。

阿爸天父，感谢祢，因我们可以来到祢面前，丝毫不需过度小心、字斟句酌，求祢帮助我们今日能继续与祢同行。

Romans 8:22-27 NIV

8 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

罗马书 8:22-27 

8 我们知道，一切受造之物一同叹息、劳苦，直到如今。 23 不但如此，就是我们这有圣灵初结果子的，也是自己心里叹息，等候得着儿子的名分，乃是我们的身体得赎。24 我们得救是在乎盼望。只是所见的盼望不是盼望。谁还盼望他所见的呢？25 但我们若盼望那所不见的，就必忍耐等候。26 况且，我们的软弱有圣灵帮助。我们本不晓得当怎样祷告，只是圣灵亲自用说不出来的叹息替我们祷告。27 鉴察人心的，晓得圣灵的意思，因为圣灵照着神的旨意替圣徒祈求。

INSIGHT

灵粮透视

Some of the New Testament’s most important teaching on the Holy Spiritis found in Romans 8. The Spirit is mentioned 21 times in the first 27 verses, with activities ranging from indwelling the lives of followers of Jesus (v. 9),giving us assurance of our relationship with the Father (v. 16), and helping us as we pray (as seen in today’s devotional; vv. 26–27). What a rich and wonderful gift we have received in the Holy Spirit! May we, as Paul says, “not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (v. 4). 

新约圣经有关圣灵最重要的一些教导，可见于罗马书第8章。这章经文的前27节经文就提到圣灵超过18次，讲论了圣灵在各方面的作为，包括住在信徒的生命中（9节），证明我们与天父之间的关系（16节），以及替我们祷告（正如今天的灵修文章所述；26-27节）。我们在圣灵里实在得着了丰盛美好的恩典！愿我们如保罗所说，行事为人能“不随从肉体，只随从圣灵”（4节）

整理：于姊妹