The Chinese version is after the English one.
中文版本在英文版本下。
In the previous article, “Prayer is Like Paying with a Real Banknote”, we discussed how prayer isn’t just speaking into thin air but an act of authority, releasing the goodness of heaven onto the earth. However, prayer is not merely a utilitarian request for gifts. Besides praying in the name of the Lord and aligning with His will for the advancement of His kingdom, it’s also like the everyday conversation between spouses and close friends.
Prayer is “To Be Seen”
Almost everyone has experienced this at some point: the person in front of you seems blind to the pain you’re silently enduring, leaving you feeling alone even in the company of others. Or maybe someone constantly misinterprets your words and actions, ascribing them to different motives, making you feel deeply misunderstood. This happens because the other person hasn’t truly “seen” you. They see your outer appearance, hear your voice, but they can’t perceive your inner world. On the contrary, someone who genuinely “sees” you sets aside their preconceptions, carefully observes you, and attempts to understand your thoughts and feelings, empathising with you. Through listening, they understand your past experiences, your present emotions, your desires and longings, accurately interpreting your intentions.
In prayer, as we pour out our innermost thoughts, it’s not merely murmuring to thin air but pouring our hearts out to a God who fully understands us, like an ocean that can contain our souls. Psalm 139 describes this God as follows:
“O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it… If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.”
Whether our hearts are at ease in prosperity or on the brink of collapse amidst inner and outer conflicts, this God knows us inside out and will guide us fully.
Prayer is “To See”
Jesus said,
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7)
In prayer, if we maintain a heart of seeking, we will “see” new visions. This kind of “seeing” can encompass different aspects:
- Seeing the Attributes of God
Prayer is talking with God. Opening our hearts to the Lord (as discussed in the article “What Does Faith Have To Do With Me?”), He will reveal Himself to us in our prayers. God doesn’t only reveal Himself to those with deep spiritual foundations but can also provide special revelations to new believers or even those who don’t yet know Him. However, generally speaking, those familiar with the Bible and who have undergone extended spiritual practice may more easily “see” God in prayer. This kind of “seeing” isn’t necessarily mysterious or grand prophecies but often involves a strong resonance and connection between the spirit of the praying person and the Spirit of the Lord, where they share God’s heart—loving what He loves, delighting in what He delights in, mourning over what He mourns, being passionate about what He’s passionate about, and being joyful about what brings Him joy. Therefore, people who belong to God tend to have inner peace not because they are naturally endowed with it, but because they can share God’s nature. (See the article “Believing in Jesus is Like Changing Nationality?”)
- Seeing Ourselves through God’s Eyes
To put it metaphorically, imagine you just had a heated argument with your spouse, and you might present different aspects of yourself to various people:
To your spouse: “I have nothing more to say.”
To your critical mother-in-law: “You think my life isn’t tough enough? Who are you to judge me?”
To your neighbour: “Hi there! I’m doing great!”
To your best friend: “I’m so upset! It’s clearly his fault… (followed by a 300,000-word rant). Thank you for listening to my complaints. Also, I want something sweet now. And, I don’t want to go home so soon.”
To your conscience: “I know I have a part in this. I know I have a bad temper, but it’s difficult. He said this to me; what do you want me to do?”
Which one is the real you? It’s a combination of all of them but not fully complete. Even in self-dialogue, we have our limitations. However, many times, in prayer, we can find the missing piece.
- Before the eyes of the Lord, we have nothing to hide: He’s the righteous judge who listens to all grievances. In God’s presence, there are no hidden secrets.
- His love is vast and profound. Before the Lord, whether we’re full of pride or self-doubt, regardless of the price tags on our clothing, our worth is immensely precious.
- Because His love is so complete, we know we are always lacking. Before the Lord, we can hardly claim full righteousness.
- He has made all conditions for forgiveness ready, waiting for us to discern it. Before the Lord, there’s no wrong we can’t admit.
- He grants the authority of prayer, allowing us to face adverse situations. Before the Lord, there’s no despairing root that can grow too deep. (See the article “Resisting Despair”.)
- His Holy Spirit operates within us, giving us the capability to face anything. Before the Lord, “I” is not a fixed entity; “I” can always be renewed and changed, and “I” can anticipate a different tomorrow.
Therefore, I would say that in prayer, we can see our truest and most complete selves.
- The Eyes of Faith
“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1, NLT).
Holding onto the faithful attributes of God, we can confidently believe in His promises, even when they seem contrary to our current circumstances. We can “see” the fulfilment of promises with the eyes of faith.
After Jesus’ death and resurrection, He appeared to His disciples, who were filled with fear and doubt, thinking they were seeing a ghost. Jesus said to them,
“Why are you frightened? Why are your hearts filled with doubt?… It was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of His name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem” (Luke 24:36-49, NLT).
While the Old Testament didn’t explicitly state the events of Christ’s death and resurrection, Jesus had indeed prophesied these events on multiple occasions. For the disciples, what they saw with their physical eyes was their teacher suffering political and religious persecution, sentenced to a brutal execution, dying. Everything they had witnessed before seemed to vanish instantly; Jesus’ painful death and the shocking, heart-wrenching shadow it cast had not yet dissipated, and they were also in danger of being implicated. However, Jesus asked them,
“Why are you frightened? Why are your hearts filled with doubt?”
(If I were there, I might have thought, “Are you serious…”) But from God’s perspective, everything He had prophesied and promised would come to pass. Thus, regardless of what the physical eyes perceived, it didn’t hinder the eyes of faith from seeing God’s mighty power. (See the article “Prayer is Like Paying with a Real Banknote.”)
The eyes of faith need practice. Many times, I’ve closed my eyes in prayer or intercession during difficult situations, recalling God’s promises, hearing His comforting words, or feeling His peace descending from above, enabling me to face challenges with serenity.
- Prophetic Seeing
Some people possess special gifts, like the prophets and apostles mentioned in the Bible, enabling them to see mysteries, special visions, hidden matters, or glimpses of the future revealed by God. Through the infilling of the Holy Spirit, ordinary believers can also receive visions, speak prophecies, and gain insights in prayer. However, the most crucial aspect isn’t possessing extraordinary abilities but being in communion with God in prayer, maintaining an open channel of communication, and persistently seeking Him. Gradually and naturally, you will see what God wants you to see in His time.
Photo: Soul Yearn
禱告是看見與被看見
上一篇文章《禱告好比兌現鈔票》談到禱告不是對空氣說話，而是帶著權柄，把天上的美善釋放在地上。然而，禱告不是功利地求取禮物，除了奉主的名按主的心意推動天國的實現，它更是信主的人信仰的呼吸，是夫妻和密友般日常的交談。
禱告是「被看見」
每一個人，多少都有過這樣的經驗：面前的人，對你所吞下的苦楚，視而不見，令你身邊雖有人相伴，但內心仍是孤單得無法言喻；或者總是有人把你的言行，誤解成別樣的動機，令你倍感冤屈。這是因為對方沒有真正「看見」你。他們看到你的皮囊、聽到你的聲音，但看不著你內心。相反，一個真正「看見」你的人，會放下自己的預設，細心觀察你，並嘗試了解你內藏的心思；可以透過聆聽，了解你過去所經歷，明白你今日所感，知道你的嚮往和渴望，正確解讀你的意思。
在禱告裡，當我們訴說內心的一切話，並不是對著空氣喃喃自語，而是在與一位完全瞭解你、像海洋一樣盛得下你的神，傾心吐意。詩篇139篇對這位上帝有這樣的描述：
「耶和華啊，祢已經鑒察我，認識我。
我坐下，我起來，祢都曉得；祢從遠處知道我的意念。
我行路，我躺臥，祢都細察；祢也深知我一切所行的。
耶和華啊，我舌頭上的話，祢沒有一句不知道的……
我若展開清晨的翅膀，飛到海極居住，
就是在那裡，祢的手必引導我；祢的右手也必扶持我。」
不論我們的內心是在萬事俱足的安逸之中，還是在內外交煎的崩潰邊緣，這位神都能完全透徹地知曉，並會引導我們。
禱告是「看見」
主耶穌說：
「你們祈求，就給你們；尋找，就尋見；叩門，就給你們開門。」(太7：7)
在禱告中，我們若常懷尋求的心，便會「看見」新的畫面。這「看見」可以包含不同的層面：
- 看見神的屬性
禱告就是與神說話。把自己的心靈開放給上主(在《信仰關我咩事》一文中，我解釋過什麼是「靈性」)，上主會在你的禱告中展示祂自己。上帝並不只向靈命基礎較深厚的信徒展示自己，祂也會對初信的人、甚或不認識祂的人有特別的啟示，但一般而言，熟悉聖經、靈性經過長期操練的人，會比較容易在禱告中看見神。這種「看見」，不一定是什麼神秘而宏大的預言，多數是在禱告中感受到上主的靈與禱告者的靈強烈地共鳴、連結，並在其中感受到主的心腸，愛祂所愛、樂祂所樂、哀祂所哀、急祂所急、緊祂所緊、寬祂所寬。所以，屬神的人心中常懷平安，不是他們天生異稟，而是因為他們能分享上主的性情。(可參文章《信耶穌好像改國籍？》)
- 在神的眼光中看見自己
打個譬喻，假設你剛與丈夫吵翻了，對著不同的人，你可能會呈露不同的自己：
對丈夫：「沒話好說。」
對批評你的家婆：「你還嫌我壓力不夠大？你憑什麼資格說我？」
對鄰居：「你好嗎？我很好！」
對閨蜜：「氣死我了！明明是他…… (下刪三十萬字)，謝謝你聽我訴苦，我今天想吃點甜的。還有，我不想這麼早回家。」
對良心：「我知道我也有責任，我知道自己脾氣也不好，但很難呀，他都這樣說了，你叫我可以怎樣？」
哪一個是真的你呢？全部拼起來就是，但尚未完整。就算是內心的自我對話，都有我們自己的限制。但很多時候，在禱告中，我們可以找到缺了的那一塊。
上主是公義的主，所有冤屈，祂都傾聽。在上主面前，我們沒有不可吐露的隱情。
祂的愛長闊高深。在上主面前，無論我們自大還是自卑，不論我們身上衣物掛著怎樣的價錢牌，價值都是如此寶貴。
亦因為祂愛得極致，我們知道自己永遠不足。在上主面前，我們很難有過多的理直氣壯。
祂賜下自己的平安與我們同在。在上主的光照下，我們沒有傷口不可以揭露。有時候，在禱告裡我們更會聽到上主的回應，給我們最適切的啟示、安慰和指引。
祂已準備好一切赦罪的條件，只待我們開口。在上主面前，我們沒有認不了的錯。
祂賜下禱告的權柄，我們憑此禱求，可以面對惡劣的情況。在上主面前，絕望的根沒有茁長的位置。(請參文章《抗拒絕望》)
祂的聖靈，在我們裡面運行，賜我們能力去應對一切。在上主面前，「我」不是鐵版一塊，「我」永遠有更新和改變的可能，「我」可以期待不一樣的明天。
故此，我會說，在禱告裡，我們可以看見最真實和完整的自己。(延伸閱讀：《如果你很難相信自己蒙接納》)
- 信心之眼
「信就是對所盼望的事有把握，對看不見的事情有確據。」(希伯來書11：1，中文標準譯本)
抓緊上帝信實的屬性，凡是祂應許給予的，縱使與眼前所見的情形相反，我們都能用信心之眼「看見」應許實現之時。
耶穌死後復活，在門徒中間顯現，門徒驚慌害怕，以為是鬼魂。耶穌就對他們說：
「你們為什麼愁煩？為什麼心裡起了疑念呢？… 照著聖經上所寫的，基督必須受害，第三日從死裡復活，並且人要奉他的名傳悔改、赦罪的道，從耶路撒冷起直傳到萬邦。」(路加福音24：36-49)
舊約聖經中雖沒有很明確地說明基督受死復活的事，但耶穌在世時的確有三番四次預言過。對門徒而言，他們肉眼所見是：自己的師傅受政治和宗教迫害，被判處極刑，死掉，之前所作的一切事情轉眼成空，耶穌慘死、矚目驚心的陰影尚未消散，自己更身陷被牽連的危險。然而耶穌卻問他們：
「你們為什麼愁煩？為什麼心裡起了疑念呢？」
(若我在場，大概心想：真是虧你問得出…) 然而在神的角度，凡祂預言、所應許的，都必實現，因此不論肉眼所見為何，都不礙信心之眼看見上帝的大能。(請參《禱告好比兌現鈔票》)
信心之眼需要操練。多少次，我在困境中合上眼禱告，或是代禱，就是因為記起神的應許、聽見祂的安慰、或感受到從上而來的平安，而能安然應對。
- 先知式的看見
有些人有特別的恩賜，像聖經裡的先知、使徒般，可以看見神所揭示的奧秘、遠象，知道一個群體或個人隱秘的事情，或者未來。在聖靈的澆灌下，平信徒也可以看見異象，說預言，在禱告裡得到啟示。不過，最重要的並不是擁有什麼異能，而是在禱告中與神同在，保持溝通管道暢通，持之以恆，慢慢地，自然能看見神所要你看見的事。
照片：朔仰