Our loving heavenly Father promises He is always present with us, even in our darkest moments.

慈爱的天父应许永远与我们同在，即使在我们最痛苦的时候也不离开。

My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will. Matthew 26:39

我父啊，倘若可行，求祢叫这杯离开我；然而，不要照我的意思，只要照祢的意思。-马太福音26章39节

I didn’t expect a profound lesson about the Father’s heart at the dentist’s office—but I got one. I was there with my ten-year-old son. He had an adult tooth coming in under a baby tooth that hadn’t fallen out yet. It had to come out. There was no other way.

我真没想到，在牙医诊所竟能深刻体会天父的心情，但我确实经历到了。那天，我陪10岁的儿子去看牙医，他有颗尚未脱落的乳牙下面长出恒齿。除了把乳牙拔掉之外，别无他法。

My son, in tears, pleaded with me: “Dad, isn’t there another way? Can’t we just wait and see? Please, Dad, I don’t want to have this tooth pulled!” It just about broke my heart, but I told him, “Son, it’s got to come out. I’m sorry. There’s no other way.” And I held his hand as he wriggled and writhed while the dentist removed that stubborn molar, tears in my eyes too. I couldn’t take his pain away; the best I could offer was to be present with him in it.

儿子含泪求我说：“爸爸，没别的方法了吗？我们可以再等看看吗？拜托啦！爸爸，我不想拔牙。”我几乎心碎，但我还是对他说：“宝贝，这颗牙一定得拔掉，实在没别的办法。”牙医在拔除那颗顽固的臼齿时，儿子钻来扭去，我紧握着他的手，眼眶含泪。我无法挪去他的痛苦，只能陪他经历整个过程。

In that moment, I remembered Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, asking His Father for a different way. How it must have broken the Father’s heart to see His beloved Son in such agony! Yet there was no other way to save His people.

那时，我想起耶稣在客西马尼园，祈求天父改用别的方法。天父看着自己的爱子陷于极大的痛苦，相信祂必心如刀割！然而，除了十字架的死，没有其他方法可以拯救祂的子民。

In our lives, we sometimes face unavoidable yet painful moments—just like my son did. But because of Jesus’s work for us through His Spirit, even in our darkest moments our loving heavenly Father is always present with us (Matthew 28:20).

在我们的生活中，有时会面临无法避免且又痛苦的时刻，就像我儿子所经历的一样。但因耶稣藉着圣灵为我们所成就的一切，即使在我们最黑暗的时刻，慈爱的天父仍与我们同在（马太福音28章20节）。

Father, thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your beloved Son to save us, even though it must have broken Your heart to do so. In our times of joy or pain, thank You for Your Spirit holding and carrying us.

天父，谢谢祢如此爱我们，纵使心碎仍差遣祢的爱子来拯救我们。无论我们喜乐或痛苦，感谢祢总是扶持保守我们。

Matthew 26:36-39    NIV

26 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

马太福音 26:36-39

26 耶稣同门徒来到一个地方，名叫客西马尼，就对他们说：“你们坐在这里，等我到那边去祷告。” 37 于是带着彼得和西庇太的两个儿子同去，就忧愁起来，极其难过，38 便对他们说：“我心里甚是忧伤，几乎要死。你们在这里等候，和我一同警醒。” 39 他就稍往前走，俯伏在地，祷告说：“我父啊！倘若可行，求你叫这杯离开我！然而，不要照我的意思，只要照你的意思。”

INSIGHT

灵粮透视

In Matthew 26:36–39, we catch a crystal-clear glimpse of the Savior’s humanity. The Last Supper is over. Jesus has foretold Judas’s betrayal (v. 25) and predicted the disciples’ abandonment of Him (vv. 31–35). Now they’re in the garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus often brought His disciples (Luke 21:37; 22:39). As He prepares to talk to His Father, Jesus tells the disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:38). Think of it! In this, His darkest hour, the Creator of the cosmos requests the company of His friends. 

在马太福音26章36-39节，我们可以清楚看到救主的人性。最后的晚餐结束后，耶稣预言犹大会出卖祂（25节），并预言门徒会离弃祂（31-35节）。随后他们来到客西马尼园，这也是耶稣和门徒常去的地方（路加福音21章37节，22章39节）。在耶稣准备与天父交谈之际，祂对门徒说：“我心里甚是忧伤，几乎要死；你们在这里等候，和我一同警醒”（马太福音26章38节）。需要特别留意的是，当耶稣面对最黑暗的时刻，这位宇宙的创造者要求祂的朋友陪伴祂。

Jesus goes a short distance away to pray, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me” (v. 39). Yet even Jesus doesn’t get all His prayers answered with a yes. Soon He will cry out from the cross, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” (27:46). The cup of suffering will not be taken from Him. He will drink it in our place. And He will do it alone.

耶稣稍微往前走了一点，就祷告说：“我父啊，倘若可行，求祢叫这杯离开我”（39节）。然而，即使是耶稣，也没有得到祂所祈求的。因为不久之后，祂就在十字架上呼喊说：“我的上帝！我的上帝！为什么离弃我？”（27章46节）苦杯诚然没有被挪去，耶稣必须替我们喝这杯，必须独自完成这项使命。

God has promised us, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). When I face my darkest moments, do I believe this?

当我们面对最幽暗的时刻，请别忘了上帝曾应许我们：“我总不撇下你，也不丢弃你。”（希伯来书13章5节）

整理：于姊妹