Our God is big enough to hear the smallest voice.

最微小的声音，伟大的上帝也会聆听。

The  is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. Psalm 145:18

凡求告耶和华的，就是诚心求告祂的，耶和华便与他们相近。-诗篇145篇18节

Dad was a man of few words. He had hearing damage due to years of military duty and wore hearing aids. One afternoon when Mom and I were talking a little longer than he thought necessary, he responded playfully, “Whenever I want peace and quiet, all I have to do is this.” Lifting both hands in a single motion, he turned off both hearing aids, folded his hands behind his head and closed his eyes in a serene smile.

父亲是个沉默寡言的人。他曾在军中服役多年导致听力受损，所以平时都配戴助听器。某天下午，他觉得我和母亲聊个没完没了，他就开玩笑地说：“每当我想要清静时，只要这样做就行了。”说着他用双手俐落地把两个助听器都关掉，然后双手交叉枕于脑后，微笑着闭上双眼休息。

We laughed. As far as he was concerned, the conversation was over!

我和母亲都笑了。对父亲来说，我们的谈话已经结束了！

My father’s actions that day remind me how different God is from us. He always wants to hear His children. This is underscored by one of the shortest prayers in the Bible. One day Nehemiah, a servant to King Artaxerxes of Persia, was visibly sad in the king’s presence. Fearful when the king asked him why, Nehemiah confessed it was because Jerusalem, the conquered city of his ancestors, lay in ruins. Nehemiah recounts, “The king said to me, ‘What is it you want?’ Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king…” (Neh. 2:4–5, italics added).

父亲那天的举动让我想到，上帝实在与我们大不相同。上帝总是愿意聆听祂儿女的心声，而圣经中有个极短的祷告就让我们看到这点。一天，尼希米在服事波斯王亚达薛西时面带愁容。当王问尼希米为何愁烦时，尼希米感到惧怕，坦承是因他祖坟所在的耶路撒冷城已被攻破，成了废墟。尼希米写道：“王问我说：‘你要求什么？’于是我默祷天上的上帝。我对王说……”（尼希米记2章4-5节）

Nehemiah’s prayer lasted only a moment, but God heard it. It set in motion God’s merciful response to the many prayers Nehemiah had already offered for Jerusalem. In that moment, Artaxerxes granted Nehemiah’s request to rebuild the city.  

虽然尼希米的祷告只有片刻，但上帝听见了，并以怜悯回应尼希米先前不住地为耶路撒冷所献上的祷告。就在那一刻，亚达薛西王准许了尼希米的请求，让他重新建造耶路撒冷。

Isn’t it comforting to know that God cares enough to listen to all of our prayers—from the shortest to the longest?

知道上帝如此关心我们，无论我们的祷告或长或短，祂都仔细聆听，这岂不令人感到欣慰吗？

Thank You, loving Father, 

for blessing me with the beautiful privilege and

 opportunity of prayer.

慈爱的天父，谢谢祢赐福予我，
让我拥有向祢祷告的殊荣和机会。

Nehemiah 2:1-9New International Version (NIV)

Artaxerxes Sends Nehemiah to Jerusalem

2 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes,when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, 2 so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”

I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?”

Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.

7 I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. 9 So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.

尼希米记 2:1-9Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Simplified) (CUVMPS)

亚达薛西王允尼希米返耶路撒冷建筑城垣

2 亚达薛西王二十年尼散月，在王面前摆酒，我拿起酒来奉给王。我素来在王面前没有愁容。 2 王对我说：“你既没有病，为什么面带愁容呢？这不是别的，必是你心中愁烦。”于是我甚惧怕。 3 我对王说：“愿王万岁！我列祖坟墓所在的那城荒凉，城门被火焚烧，我岂能面无愁容吗？” 4 王问我说：“你要求什么？”于是我默祷天上的神。 5 我对王说：“仆人若在王眼前蒙恩，王若喜欢，求王差遣我往犹大，到我列祖坟墓所在的那城去，我好重新建造。” 6 那时，王后坐在王的旁边。王问我说：“你去要多少日子？几时回来？”我就定了日期。于是王喜欢差遣我去。 7 我又对王说：“王若喜欢，求王赐我诏书，通知大河西的省长准我经过，直到犹大。 8 又赐诏书，通知管理王园林的亚萨，使他给我木料，做属殿营楼之门的横梁和城墙与我自己房屋使用的。”王就允准我，因我神施恩的手帮助我。

察视城垣倾圮

9 王派了军长和马兵护送我，我到了河西的省长那里，将王的诏书交给他们。

整理：于姊妹