Wait, and Watch God Affirm Your Faith
等候，看看上帝肯定你的信心
Nov 22, 2017
“The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you”(John 14:26 GNT).
“但保惠师，就是父因我的名所要差来的圣灵，他要把一切的事教导你们，并且要使你们想起我对你们所说的一切话。”（约14:26 和修）
I remember growing up with some old math books that had the answers at the end of the book. I could work out the equation, figure out the answer, and then go and check it in the back. Or not! What I actually did was go find the answer and then, knowing where I was supposed to end up, try to figure out how to do the equation.
在我的记忆中，许多古老的数学书籍伴随了我的成长，在书的最后往往有这本书习题的答案。我可以算出方程，找到答案，然后去书后检查。或者不这样！我其实要做的就是找到答案，所以直接知道我需要答案所在页数，并且直接翻到那一页，找到方程的解法。
In a way, that’s similar to how prayer works. God has already given us a promise that he’s going to answer. Since you know how it’s going to end up, you’re left to go back and wait in the middle while it’s all being worked out. You say, “Thanks, Lord! I haven’t gotten my answer yet, but I know it’s on the way, because you promised. You’ve given me a rhema. You’ve spoken to my heart, and I know it’s going to happen. It’s simply a matter of your timing.”
在某种程度上，这很像祷告的方式。上帝已经给了我们承诺，他一定会给出答案。既然你已经知道如何这件事情如何结束，但当这件事还在持续的时候，你还是要回去等待。你说，“感谢你！主啊！我虽然现在还没有得到答案，但是我知道这正在进行中，因为你的应许。你给我了一句‘话’。你已经对我的心讲话，并且我知道这就要发生。这只是你的时间问题。”
After you’ve made that commitment and taken the step of faith, often God will send little confirmations during your time of waiting.
当你做了这样的承诺，并且迈出了信心的一步之后，往往在你等待的过程中，上帝不怎么会给你确据。
When we moved to California, Kay and I had prayed for God to show us where to go and start a new church. After a period of time, we really felt God saying to us a rhema: Go to the Saddleback Valley. There was a real peace in our hearts about it, and we felt confident. After we made the decision to make the move, we experienced all kinds of little confirmations.
当我们搬到加利福尼亚的时候，Kay和我想上帝祷告，告诉我们哪里是我们要去建立一个新教会的地方。过了一段时间，我们真实的感受到了上帝给我们的一句“话”：去Saddleback山谷。这对我们来说非常的平安，我们也充满自信。在我们做决定搬家之前，我们也经历了各种各样小小的确据。
I’d written a letter to a man in charge of directing churches in this area, telling him I was going to come. At the same time, he was writing me a letter, asking me to come. We didn’t know about each other’s letters.
我给这个地区的一个教会主管写了一封信，告诉她我要来。与此同时，他也在写信给我，邀请我来。我们在此之前并不知道对方的来信。
When we got here, we didn’t know anybody. Yet within three hours of arriving, we had already met the man who became our first member.
当我们到这里的时候，我们不认识任何人。直到三个小时后，我们遇见了第一个成为我们会员的人。
We got here in January of 1980, and a total stranger called me up one day, told me his name, and said, “We’ve never met before, but I understand you’re starting a new church. I feel like God wants me to support your ministry for the first two months with $1,000 a month.”
我在1980年一月来到这里，有一天，一个完全陌生的人给我打电话，告诉我他的名字，并且说：“我之前从没遇见你，但是我知道你在这里开始一间心的教会。我感到上帝要我在头两个月每月给你1000刀，来支持你的事工。”
We didn’t count on those kinds of things happening. But we claimed God’s promise, took a step of faith, and believed in God’s loving grace to give us affirmation along the way.
我们无法预料到这各种各样的事情发生。但是我们要上帝的应许，迈出信心的一步，然后相信上帝的慈爱恩典，一路给我们确据。
Talk It Over
讨论问题
What do you think God wants you to learn while you wait on him to answer a prayer?
你认为，当你等待他回答你的祷告是，上帝要你学习什么？
How has God affirmed you during a waiting period in your life?
上帝如何在你生命中那些等待的过成功给你确据？
What other promises from God’s Word can you claim while you wait on him to answer a prayer?
当你等待上帝回答祷告的时候，上帝的话中有哪些应许你可以抓住？
注：rhema 希腊文，原意“话、道”。
