12月21日
标 题：忠心祷告
经 节：又有女先知，名叫亚拿，是亚设交派法内力的女儿，年纪已经老迈，从作童女出嫁的时候，同丈夫住了七年就寡居了。现在已经八十四岁，并不离开圣殿，禁食祈求，昼夜事奉神。（路加福音二章36–37节）
因你的忠实，神会让你更深刻了解祂的作为。忠实所带给你的一些机会，是那些不忠诚的人所没有的。神乐意回答忠实的祈祷者。
亚拿已经做了许多年的寡妇。在她那个时代，寡妇是没有社会地位的，实际上，她们的生活很无助。亚拿在圣殿里昼夜祷告、禁食事奉神。当她祷告的时候，她渴望见到弥赛亚。当救主出生的时候，神只安排极少数的人遇见救主，祂的爱子只揭露给那些忠实纯洁的人。亚拿也是其中之一。耶稣后来向祂的跟随者说：“但你们的眼睛是有福的，因为看见了；你们的耳朵也是有福的，因为听见了。……因为天国的奥秘只叫你们知道，不叫他们知道。”（马太福音十三：16、11）
亚拿一直忠实地祈求，直到祷告蒙实现。她祷告的回答并没有马上来到。事实上，这个祷告的回复是在晚年时才到。神重视她的忠实，且赐下弥赛亚的救恩计划，包括回答一个寡妇的祈求。
忠实的祈祷包括终生等候神的回答。神寻找愿意持续祷告，直到得到回答的代祷者。
Faithfulness
in Prayer
Now
there was one, Anna, …a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart
from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. (Luke
2:36-37)
Your
faithfulness allows God to reveal greater insight to you than to the less
faithful. Faithfulness brings opportunities to you that are not given to the
unfaithful. God takes pleasure in answering prayers that come from a faithful
heart.
Anna
had been a widow for many years. In her day, a widow had little status in
society and was virtually helpless on her own. Anna spent her time, day and
night, in prayer and fasting in the temple. As she prayed, she yearned to see
the Messiah. God chose few people to encounter the Savior when He was born,
revealing His Son only to those whose hearts were faithful and pure. Anna was
one of those few. Jesus would later say to His followers, “Blessed are your eyes
for they see, and your ears for they hear . . . it has been given to you to
know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given”
(Matt. 13:16, 11).
Anna
continued faithfully in prayer until her prayer was answered. The answer to her
prayers did not come immediately. In fact, it came near the end of her life.
But God honored her faithfulness. God’s redemptive plan to send the Messiah
included answering the prayers of a humble widow.
Faithful
praying may mean a lifetime of waiting to receive an answer. God is looking for
intercessors who are willing to continue to pray and to believe until they see
God’s answer.
