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Call out to God; He is wanting to hear from you.
只管向上帝呼求，祂正侧耳倾听。
[The says:] I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. Isaiah 38:5
[主说：]我听见了你的祷告，看见了你的眼泪。-以赛亚书38章5节
For five years, an ancient clay seal remained in a closet in Jerusalem’s Institute of Archaeology. After the seal was dug up at the foot of the southern part of Jerusalem’s old city wall, initial examination failed to establish the significance of the nearly 3,000-year-old object. But then a researcher carefully scrutinized the letters on the seal, resulting in a major discovery. The inscription, written in ancient Hebrew, reads: “Belonging to Hezekiah [son of] Ahaz king of Judah.”
一枚古代陶土印章被人放置在耶路撒冷一所考古机构的柜子里，长达五年的时间。这枚印章从耶路撒冷旧城墙南面的墙角下出土，一开始并无法鉴定这是将近三千年历史的古文物。后来，经过一位研究员仔细查考印章上的字母，才肯定这项文物是一个了不起的发现，因为这枚印章上的希伯来文写着：“属于希西家，犹大王亚哈斯之子。”
At the center of the seal is a two-winged sun surrounded by two images symbolizing life. The archaeologists who discovered the seal believe that King Hezekiah began using this seal as a symbol of God’s protection after the Lord healed him from a life-threatening illness (Isa. 38:1–8). Hezekiah had been pleading with the Lord to heal him. And God heard his prayer. He also gave Hezekiah a sign that He would indeed do what He had promised, saying, “I will cause the sun’s shadow to move ten steps backward” (v. 8 ).
这枚印章中央刻着一个附有双翼的太阳，两旁则环绕着两个象征生命的图样。发现这枚印章的考古学家们认为，希西家王用这枚印章象征上帝的保护，纪念上帝在他病入膏肓之际，使他得到医治（以赛亚书38章1-8节）。希西家恳求上帝医治他，上帝就垂听了他的祷告。不仅如此，上帝更给了希西家一个印证，使日影往后退十度，以此证明祂是一位言出必行的上帝（8节）。
The facts related to this archeological artifact give us an encouraging reminder that the people in the Bible were learning, as we are, to call on the Lord who hears us when we cry out to Him for help. And even when His answers are not what we want or expect, we can rest assured that He is compassionate and He is powerful. The One who orders the movement of the sun can certainly move in our hearts.
与这项古文物相关的史实十分激励人心，同时也提醒我们，圣经人物和我们一样都在学习向上帝祷告，当我们呼求上帝的帮助，祂就会垂听。即使上帝的回应并非按着我们的期待，但我们仍然可以确信祂是全能且满有怜悯的主。这位移动日影的上帝，也能在我们的心中动工。
Dear God, You are great and powerful, yet You care for me. Help me to believe in Your power and love, and to seek Your help always.
亲爱的上帝，祢是那么伟大且满有能力，
但祢竟眷顾我。
求祢帮助我，完全信靠祢的全能和慈爱，
并时时寻求祢的帮助。
38 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord,3 “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.
7 “‘This is the Lord’s sign to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: 8 I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.’” So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down.
整理：于姊妹
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