God will one day restore all the beauty lost before.

到那一天，上帝会恢复万物的荣美。

He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins. Ezra 9:9

我们的上帝……叫我们复兴，能重建我们上帝的殿，修其毁坏之处。-以斯拉记9章9节 

In the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem you’ll find Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue. Built in the 19th century, the synagogue was dynamited by commandos during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

在耶路撒冷犹太区，有一间犹太会堂（Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue）。这座会堂建于19世纪，但在1948年的以阿战争中被突击队炸毁。

For years the site lay in ruins. Then, in 2014, rebuilding began. As city officials set a piece of rubble as the cornerstone, one of them quoted from Lamentations: “Restore us to yourself, , that we may return; renew our days as of old” (5:21).

多年来，那里一直都是废墟，直到2014年才开始重建。当时，政府官员选了一块石砾作为房角石，当中便有人引用耶利米哀歌的一节经文：「耶和华啊，求祢使我们向祢回转，我们便得回转；求祢复新我们的日子，像古时一样。」（5章21节）

Lamentations is Jeremiah’s funeral song for Jerusalem. With graphic imagery the prophet describes the impact of war on his city. Verse 21 is his heartfelt prayer for God to intervene. Still, the prophet wonders if that is even possible. He concludes his anguished song with this fearful caveat: “unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure” (v. 22). Decades later, God did answer that prayer as the exiles returned to Jerusalem.

耶利米哀歌是先知耶利米为哀悼耶路撒冷所写的挽歌，描绘了这座城市如何遭受战争的蹂躏，21节更是他发自内心祈求上帝介入的祷词。除非上帝全然弃绝他们，向他们大发烈怒（22节） ，否则就求上帝恢复这座城市的原貌。几十年后，上帝回应他的祷告，让被掳的百姓返回耶路撒冷。

Our lives too may seem to be in ruins. Troubles of our own making and conflicts we can’t avoid may leave us devastated. But we have a Father who understands. Gently, patiently, He clears away the rubble, repurposes it, and builds something better. It takes time, but we can always trust Him. He specializes in rebuilding projects.

有时我们的生命也像是一片废墟。我们自身的困难和无可避免的冲突，都可能使我们感到绝望。然而，我们的天父完全能体会，祂温柔耐心地清除我们心中的残垣断瓦，重建我们的生命，赋予我们生命美好的意义。这不是一蹴而就的事，但我们能信靠上帝，因祂擅于重新建造。

Lord, You have reclaimed us, and You are remaking us. Thank You for Your love and Your care despite our self-centered and destructive ways.
Thank You for true forgiveness and unity in You.

主啊，祢让我们回转，并重建我们的生命。

尽管我们常偏行己路，但感谢祢仍然爱护与看顾我们。
谢谢祢的赦免，让我们能在主里合而为一。

Read: Lamentations 5:8-22 NIV

“Slaves rule over us, and there is no one to free us from their hands. We get our bread at the risk of our lives because of the sword in the desert. Our skin is hot as an oven, feverish from hunger. Women have been violated in Zion, and virgins in the towns of Judah. Princes have been hung up by their hands; elders are shown no respect. Young men toil at the millstones; boys stagger under loads of wood. The elders are gone from the city gate; the young men have stopped their music. Joy is gone from our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning. The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned! Because of this our hearts are faint, because of these things our eyes grow dim for Mount Zion, which lies desolate, with jackals prowling over it. You, Lord, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation. Why do you always forget us? Why do you forsake us so long? Restore us to yourself, Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure.”

整理：于姊妹