God won’t shout if we only need a whisper.

若我们只需要微声，上帝就会轻声回应。

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. John 14:9

人看见了我，就是看见了父。-约翰福音14章9节

In 1986, five-year-old Levan Merritt fell twenty feet into the gorilla enclosure of England’s Jersey zoo. As parents and onlookers cried out for help, a full-grown male silverback, named Jambo, placed himself between the motionless boy and several other gorillas. Then he began to gently stroke the child’s back. When Levan began to cry, Jambo led the other gorillas into their own enclosure as zoo-keepers and an ambulance driver came to the rescue. More than thirty years later Levan still talks about Jambo the gentle giant—his guardian angel who had acted in a shockingly unexpected way, changing his perception of gorillas forever.

在1986年，年仅5岁的莱文．梅利特（Levan Merritt）在英国泽西岛的动物园里，从6公尺高的观赏台掉到大猩猩的园子里。正当他父母和路人大声呼救时，一只名叫珍宝的成年雄性大猩猩走过去保护昏迷不醒的莱文，并轻抚莱文的背部。等到莱文清醒放声大哭时，动物园的管理员与救护人员也赶到现场救援，珍宝则带着其他大猩猩回到围栏里。三十多年后，莱文仍时常提到珍宝这温柔的巨人，就像是守护天使，以出人意表的举止保护他，并彻底改变了他对大猩猩的观感。

Elijah may have expected God to act in certain ways, but the God of gods used a rock-shattering wind, a powerful earthquake, and raging fire to show His prophet how not to think of Him. Then He used a gentle whisper to show His heart and to express His presence (1 Kings 19:11–12).

先知以利亚也原以为，上帝会以某种形式施展作为，但这位万神之神却藉由崩山碎石的疾风、强烈的地震和猛烈的火焰，让他明白上帝的作为常是出人意表。上帝随后以轻柔微声表明祂的心意，并显明祂的同在（列王纪上19章11-12节）。

Elijah had seen God’s power before (18:38–39). But he didn’t fully understand the One who wants to be known as more than the greatest and most fearsome of gods (19:10, 14).

以利亚虽曾见过上帝的大能（18章38-39节），但他却没有真正明白，上帝期盼人们所认识的祂，不只是一位大而可畏的神明（19章10、14节）。

Eventually, that quiet whisper found fullness of meaning in the powerful gentleness of Jesus, who said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Then He quietly allowed Himself to be nailed to a tree—an unexpected, compassionate act by the great God who loves us.

最后，上帝这轻柔微声的意义，终于在耶稣的温柔大能中完整呈现，祂说：“人看见了我，就是看见了父”（约翰福音14章9节）。接着祂默默被钉死在十字架上，展现了爱我们的上帝那出人意表的怜悯作为。

Father in heaven, please help us to find courage in Your whisper—and in the ways of Your Son. Have mercy on us for not seeing beyond Your power to a love we’ve barely begun to know.

天父，求祢让我们从祢的微声及耶稣的作为，得着勇气。怜悯我们常无法看见在祢大能背后的大爱。

1 Kings 19:1-12    NIV

19 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” 3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beershebain Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. 7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled fortydays and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

列王纪上 19:1-12 

19 亚哈将以利亚一切所行的和他用刀杀众先知的事都告诉耶洗别。 2 耶洗别就差遣人去见以利亚，告诉他说：“明日约在这时候，我若不使你的性命像那些人的性命一样，愿神明重重地降罚于我！” 3 以利亚见这光景就起来逃命，到了犹大的别是巴，将仆人留在那里。 4 自己在旷野走了一日的路程，来到一棵罗腾树[a]下，就坐在那里求死，说：“耶和华啊，罢了！求你取我的性命，因为我不胜于我的列祖。” 5 他就躺在罗腾树下，睡着了。有一个天使拍他，说：“起来吃吧！” 6 他观看，见头旁有一瓶水与炭火烧的饼，他就吃了喝了，仍然躺下。 7 耶和华的使者第二次来拍他，说：“起来吃吧！因为你当走的路甚远。” 8 他就起来吃了喝了，仗着这饮食的力，走了四十昼夜，到了神的山，就是何烈山。9 他在那里进了一个洞，就住在洞中。耶和华的话临到他说：“以利亚啊，你在这里做什么？” 10 他说：“我为耶和华万军之神大发热心。因为以色列人背弃了你的约，毁坏了你的坛，用刀杀了你的先知，只剩下我一个人，他们还要寻索我的命。” 11 耶和华说：“你出来站在山上，在我面前。”那时耶和华从那里经过，在他面前有烈风大作，崩山碎石，耶和华却不在风中；风后地震，耶和华却不在其中； 12 地震后有火，耶和华也不在火中；火后有微小的声音。

整理：于姊妹