God patiently directs us as we trust Him and listen for His voice.

上帝必耐心指引前路，你我只管相信听从。

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21

你或向左或向右，你必听见后边有声音说：“这是正路，要行在其间。”-以赛亚书30章21节

“We’re going this way,” I said as I touched my son’s shoulder and redirected him through the crowd to follow his mom and sisters in front of us. I’d done this more often as the day wore on at the amusement park our family was visiting. He was getting tired and more easily distracted. Why can’t he just follow them? I wondered.

我拍拍儿子的肩膀说：“我们要往这边走！”我带领他穿过人群，好追上走在前面的妻子和女儿。当我们全家人在游乐园玩的这一整天，我经常都需要这样提醒他。儿子愈发疲惫，就愈发容易分心，这使我不禁十分纳闷：为什么他就是不能紧跟着家人呢？

Then it hit me: How often do I do exactly the same thing? How often do I veer from obediently walking with God, enchanted by the temptations to pursue what I want instead of seeking His ways?

这也让我想起：我不也是经常犯相同的错误？我又何尝不是为了满足自己的欲望，屡屡不顺服上帝，偏离了祂的道路呢？

Think of Isaiah’s words from God for Israel: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’ ” (Isaiah 30:21). Earlier in that chapter, God had rebuked His people for their rebelliousness. But if they would trust His strength instead of their own ways (v. 15), He promised to show His graciousness and compassion (v. 18).

我想起上帝藉着先知以赛亚对以色列百姓说：“你或向左或向右，你必听见后边有声音说：‘这是正路，要行在其间’”（以赛亚书30章21节）。在这之前，上帝责备了百姓的悖逆，但上帝也让他们明白，他们若离弃自己的道路，并愿全心信靠上帝的能力（15节），上帝就应许要向他们大施慈爱与怜悯（18节）。

One expression of God’s graciousness is His promise to guide us by His Spirit. That happens as we talk to Him about our desires and ask in prayer what He has for us. I’m thankful God patiently directs us, day-by-day, step-by-step, as we trust Him and listen for His voice. 

上帝应许藉着圣灵引导我们，这是祂表明慈爱的一种方式。当我们向上帝倾诉心中的想望，在祷告中寻求祂的心意时，圣灵就会引导我们。感谢上帝一天天、一步步耐心地引领我们，盼望你我愿意信靠祂，并愿聆听祂的声音。

Father, You’ve promised to guide us through the ups and downs and decisions we face in life. Help us to trust and follow You, and to actively listen for Your guiding voice.

天父，祢应许必引领我们面对生活中的起落与抉择。求祢帮助我们，能信靠祢、跟随祢，并能仔细聆听祢的慈声引导。

Isaiah 30:15-21    NIV

30 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. 16 You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’ Therefore you will flee! You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’ Therefore your pursuers will be swift! 17 A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill.” 18 Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! 19 People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. 20 Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

以赛亚书 30:15-21

30 主耶和华以色列的圣者曾如此说：“你们得救在乎归回安息，你们得力在乎平静安稳。”你们竟自不肯！ 16 你们却说：“不然，我们要骑马奔走。”所以你们必然奔走。又说：“我们要骑飞快的牲口。”所以追赶你们的也必飞快。 17 一人叱喝必令千人逃跑，五人叱喝你们都必逃跑，以致剩下的好像山顶的旗杆，冈上的大旗。18 耶和华必然等候，要施恩给你们，必然兴起，好怜悯你们，因为耶和华是公平的神。凡等候他的，都是有福的！ 19 百姓必在锡安，在耶路撒冷居住，你不再哭泣。主必因你哀求的声音施恩给你，他听见的时候，就必应允你。 20 主虽然以艰难给你当饼，以困苦给你当水，你的教师却不再隐藏，你眼必看见你的教师。 21 你或向左或向右，你必听见后边有声音说：“这是正路，要行在其间。”

INSIGHT

灵粮透视

In today’s passage, a resurgent militant Assyria threatened to conquer all of Israel. But instead of trusting God to deliver them, Judah turned to Egypt for help. God had explicitly prohibited Israelite kings from trusting in anything other than God for deliverance (Deuteronomy 17:16). Isaiah warned that it’s futile to trust Egypt instead of the Lord (Isaiah 30:1–19; 31:1). The psalmist also warned of the futility of putting our trust in something other than God: “No king is saved by the size of his army . . . . A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save” (Psalm 33:16–17).

今天阅读的这段经文，讲到军力日盛的亚述威胁要征服整个以色列，但犹大百姓却不倚靠上帝来拯救他们，反而向埃及求助。事实上，上帝早已明确警告以色列的君王，不可寻求上帝以外的援助（申命记17章16节）。以赛亚警告说，依靠埃及而不仰赖上帝是徒劳无益的（以赛亚书30章1-19节，31章1节）。诗人也发出警语，明确指出信靠上帝之外的任何事物，其实毫无助益。他说：“君王不能因兵多得胜；……靠马得救是枉然的；马也不能因力大救人。”（诗篇33篇16-17节）

When have you placed your trust in something other than God?

你什么时候曾依靠过上帝之外的事物？

整理：于姊妹