7月26日

標　　題：你的天父知道你

經　　節：你們不可效法他們；因為你們沒有祈求以先，你們所需用的，你們的父早已知道了。（馬太福音六章8節）

即使在求告之前，天父早已開始預備我們所需用的（以賽亞書六十五：24）。耶穌要自己的門徒知道，神多麼愛他們每一個人。這就是為甚麼祂要他們禱告。祂向他們保證，在他們禱告以前，神已經知道他們所有的處境。

禱告的目的，不是要告訴神我們的需要，因為祂早已知道我們的需求。那為甚麼應當禱告呢？禱告為的是更親密地經歷神。孩子愈經歷慈愛父母的供應，就愈確信自己是父母的心肝寶貝。父母通常在子女察覺自己的需求之前，早就預備好供應他們的需要。天父早知道我們今天或下禮拜會發生甚麼事。祂極想要我們能夠經歷祂的供應。

我們總是意外地發現，神比我們更清楚我們真正的需要。有時候，我們自以為知道甚麼最好，甚至笨拙地以為自己不需要神的供應。然而，神要我們向祂祈求所需（馬太福音七：7）。祂已經預備好要在我們的軟弱上，顯出祂的剛強。天父清楚知道甚麼對我們最好，祂預備好要供應我們每個需要，只要我們肯開口求（腓立比書四：13）。

Your Heavenly Father Knows You

Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. (Matthew 6:8)

Even before we call on Him, the Father has already begun to provide all that we need (Isa. 65:24). Jesus wanted His disciples to learn how intimately God knew and loved each of them. That is why He told them to pray. He assured them that even before they prayed, God knew all about their situation.

Prayer is not designed for us to inform God of our needs, for He already knows them. Why, then, should we pray? Prayer enables us to experience God more intimately. The more a child experiences the loving provision of a parent, the more convinced he becomes of his parent’s unrelenting love. Often a parent will anticipate a child’s need before the child recognizes it and be prepared in advance to provide for that need. Our heavenly Father knows exactly what we will face today and next week. He is eager for us to experience Him as He provides for us.

To our surprise, we often discover that God knows far better than we do what is best for us. At times we assume that we know what would benefit us. We can even be foolish enough to assume that we don’t require anything of God. Yet God wants us to go to Him in our need (Matt. 7:7). He is ready to show His strength through our weakness. Our heavenly Father knows exactly what is best for us, and He is prepared to provide for every need, if we will but ask (Phil. 4:13).