【双语灵修】安然睡觉REST IN PEACE

诗篇4

大卫的诗，交于伶长。用丝弦的乐器。

显我为义的神啊，我呼吁的时候，求你应允我。我在困苦中，你曾使我宽广；现在求你怜恤我，听我的祷告。 你们这上流人哪，你们将我的尊荣变为羞辱，要到几时呢？你们喜爱虚妄，寻找虚假，要到几时呢？（细拉） 你们要知道，耶和华已经分别虔诚人归他自己，我求告耶和华，他必听我。 你们应当畏惧，不可犯罪；在床上的时候要心里思想，并要肃静。（细拉） 当献上公义的祭，又当倚靠耶和华。 有许多人说：“谁能指示我们什么好处？”耶和华啊，求你仰起脸来，光照我们！ 你使我心里快乐，胜过那丰收五谷、新酒的人。 我必安然躺下睡觉，因为独有你耶和华使我安然居住。

五月七日

安然睡觉

“我必安然躺下睡觉，因为独有你耶和华使我安然居住。”——诗篇4:8

我们会睡觉，但圣灵和魔鬼却不会；所以，我们没有知觉的状态也可以成为一个属灵的战场。

鲁益师建议在睡前祈祷时，我们可以采取以下几个步骤。第一，求神让我们看见自己当天犯了什么罪，包括在意念、言语、和行为上所犯的罪。承认那些罪，并祈求神赦免你，也赦免那些我们甚至可能没有想起的罪。

第二，把你的担忧和焦虑的思念舍给神，放开令你难以入睡的忧虑，把它们交托给神。这篇诗篇的另一个译本这样说：“你叫我安心躺下，又保守我全然平安。”我们不但不会受到暴力或肉身上的伤害，我们更不会受到魔鬼的攻击。我们不单在醒时得到慈爱的神的看顾，我们在睡觉时也是如此。

最后，祈求神在你睡觉时和醒着时保护你。惟有神才能赐我们真正的安息。安息就是沙龙（shalom）／平安。在神所赐的平安中，一切都是稳妥的，一切都是和谐的。这就是耶稣留给门徒的平安，而所有跟随耶稣的人都是祂的门徒。就让我们求主赐这平安给我们吧。无论是在醒时或睡着时，常常都可以得到这平安。

祷告

神啊，感谢你，就是在我们睡着时，你仍然看顾我们。你赐给我们的平安，不是这个世界所能给与我们的。在你里面，我们找到永恒和平静的安息。奉耶稣的名祈求，阿们。

Psalm 4

THURSDAY, MAY 7

REST IN PEACE

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety. —Psalm 4:8

We sleep, but the Holy Spirit and the demons do not. So even our subconscious can be a battleground of spirituality.

C. S. Lewis recommended the following steps in prayer before we go to sleep. First, ask God to show you what sins you might have committed during the day. Those sins include thoughts, words, and actions. Confess those sins and ask God to forgive you for them, as well as other sins that might not even come to mind.

Second, surrender your concerns and anxious thoughts to God. Let go of worries that might keep you awake. Give them up to God. As another translation of this psalm puts it, “You let me lie down in peace, and keep me perfectly safe.” We can be safe not only from violence or physical turmoil but also from the attacks of the devil. We live under the care of the loving God not only when we are awake but also when we are asleep.

Finally, ask God to protect you while you sleep and when you are awake. God alone provides us with true rest. Rest is shalom/peace. In God’s shalom all is well. All is in harmony. This is the peace that Jesus leaves with his disciples, and all who follow Jesus are his disciples. Ask the Lord for this peace. It is available always, whether you are awake or asleep.

Thank you, God, that even while we sleep, you care for us. You give us the peace that the world cannot give. And in you we find eternal, peaceful rest. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.