我们祈盼永远与主同住。

I am going there to prepare a place for you. John 14:2

我去原是为你们预备地方去。-约翰福音14章2节

“Why do we have to leave our home and move?” my son asked. It’s difficult to explain what a home is, especially to a five-year-old. We were leaving a house, but not our home, in the sense that home is where our loved ones are. It’s the place where we long to return after a long trip or after a full day’s work.

儿子问我：“为什么要搬离我们的家？”我无法对一个五岁的小孩解释什么是“家”。也很难让他明白，我们只是离开一间房子，而不是离开家。因为“家”是指挚爱的亲人住在一起的地方，也是在结束漫长的旅程或整天辛苦工作之后，我们渴望回去的地方。

When Jesus was in the upper room just hours before He died, He told His disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1). The disciples were uncertain of their future because Jesus had predicted His death. But Jesus reassured them of His presence and reminded them they would see Him again. He told them, “My Father’s house has many rooms . . . . I am going there to prepare a place for you” (v. 2). He could have used other words to describe heaven. However, He chose words that describe not an uncomfortable or unfamiliar place but a place where Jesus, our loved One, would be.

耶稣在受难数小时前的最后晚餐中，特别嘱咐门徒：“你们心里不要忧愁”（约翰福音14章1节）。门徒对未来感到茫然失措，因耶稣已经明说祂即将受难。但耶稣也应许他们，必与他们同在，并提醒他们，将来祂必再临。耶稣对他们说：“在我父的家里有许多住处；……我去原是为你们预备地方去”（2节）。耶稣大可用其他的词汇形容天堂，但祂却没有将其形容为让人感到陌生或不安的地方，而是我们亲爱的耶稣所在的地方。

C. S. Lewis wrote, “Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for home.” We can thank God for the “pleasant inns” in life, but let’s remember that our real home is in heaven where we “will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

鲁益师曾经写道：“天父为了要让我们在人生的旅程中，有充沛的活力，便为我们预备了一些舒适的旅馆，但祂不希望我们误认为那就是我们的家。”我们可以为了生命中这些“舒适的旅馆”而感谢上帝，但我们都当谨记，天家才是你我真正的家，在那里我们“要和主永远同在”（帖撒罗尼迦前书4章17节） 。

亲爱的主，感谢祢为我们预备了永恒的天家。

John 14:1-14    NIV

14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

约翰福音 14:1-14 

14 “你们心里不要忧愁，你们信神，也当信我。 2 在我父的家里有许多住处，若是没有，我就早已告诉你们了，我去原是为你们预备地方去。 3 我若去为你们预备了地方，就必再来接你们到我那里去，我在哪里，叫你们也在哪里。 4 我往哪里去你们知道，那条路你们也知道。” 5 多马对他说：“主啊，我们不知道你往哪里去，怎么知道那条路呢？” 6 耶稣说：“我就是道路、真理、生命。若不借着我，没有人能到父那里去。 7 你们若认识我，也就认识我的父。从今以后，你们认识他，并且已经看见他。” 8 腓力对他说：“求主将父显给我们看，我们就知足了。” 9 耶稣对他说：“腓力，我与你们同在这样长久，你还不认识我吗？人看见了我，就是看见了父，你怎么说‘将父显给我们看’呢？ 10 我在父里面，父在我里面，你不信吗？我对你们所说的话，不是凭着自己说的，乃是住在我里面的父做他自己的事。 11 你们当信我，我在父里面，父在我里面；即或不信，也当因我所做的事信我。 12 我实实在在地告诉你们：我所做的事，信我的人也要做，并且要做比这更大的事，因为我往父那里去。 13 你们奉我的名无论求什么，我必成就，叫父因儿子得荣耀。 14 你们若奉我名求告什么，我必成就。

 整理 ：于姊妹