9月13日         

標　　題：禱告是為了預備

經　　節：五旬節到了，門徒都聚集在一處。（使徒行傳二章1節）

祈禱不是要讓你得到屬靈的力量。禱告調整你的生活，好讓祂能夠藉著你展示祂的全能。禱告的目的，不是要說服神改變你的環境，而是要預備你參與神的作為。

在五旬節，人們熱切地祈禱不是聖靈降臨的原因。禱告帶領他們進入一個境地，他們預備好要添加神所計畫的大工。

耶穌要祂的跟隨者仍然停留在耶路撒冷，等候聖靈降臨（使徒行傳一：4∼5）。於是，門徒順服祂的命令，等候神下一個派令。當他們禱告的時候，神調整及預備他們面對祂所指示的下一件任務。禱告時，他們之間彼此合一。這是有始以來，門徒第一次使用聖經作為他們決定的指引（使徒行傳一：15∼26）。五旬節那天來臨，耶路撒冷合城到處都是來自全世界的朝聖者。當神使聖靈充滿門徒的時候，神已經使那些傳福音到萬國萬邦的使者，遍佈了整個城市。禱告預備門徒能順服地回應神的話。

禱告是為了調整你的心能認同神的旨意，不是調整神能合你的心意。倘若神沒有回答你的禱告，你可能需要調整自己的禱告，好符合神的計畫。不要專注於自己的期望，乃是要領悟，神更在意祂對你的期望。

Prayer Is Preparation

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. (Acts 2:1)

Prayer does not give you spiritual power. Prayer aligns your life with God so that He chooses to demonstrate His power through you. The purpose of prayer is not to convince God to change your circumstances but to prepare you to be involved in God’s activity.

The fervent prayer of the people at Pentecost did not induce the Holy Spirit to come upon them. Prayer brought them to a place where they were ready to participate in the mighty work God had already planned.

Jesus told His followers to remain in Jerusalem until the Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:4–5). The disciples obeyed His command, waiting for God’s next directive. As they prayed, God adjusted their lives to what He intended to do next. As they prayed, a unity developed among them. For the first time the disciples used Scripture as their guide in decision making (Acts 1:15–26). The day of Pentecost arrived, and the city of Jerusalem filled with pilgrims from around the world. When God released His Holy Spirit upon the disciples, He had already filled the city with messengers who would carry the Gospel to every nation. Prayer had prepared the disciples for their obedient response.

Prayer is designed to adjust you to God’s will, not to adjust God to your will. If God has not responded to what you are praying, you may need to adjust your praying to align with God’s agenda. Rather than focusing on what you would like to see happen, realize that God may be more concerned with what He wants to see happen in you.