我一直很關心一位作家朋友，並為她祈禱，她常在網路上與人分享她的抗癌歷程。她時而分享身體的疼痛和面對的挑戰，時而分享代禱事項，其中提到某些聖經經文，也同時表達對上帝的讚美和感謝。無論她是在醫院等待治療，還是在家裡因掉髮而戴著頭巾，她那勇敢的笑容總是讓我們得到激勵。在每一個磨難中，她都不忘鼓勵別人在深陷困境時，依然要信靠上帝。

當我們遭遇患難時，或許很難找到理由去感謝、讚美上帝。然而，詩篇100篇給了我們理由，讓我們在困境中仍能喜樂地讚美上帝。詩人說﹕「你們當曉得耶和華是上帝。我們是祂造的，也是屬祂的；我們是祂的民，也是祂草場的羊」（3節）；「因為耶和華本為善，祂的慈愛存到永遠，祂的信實直到萬代！」（5節）

無論我們遇到什麼考驗，我們都可以得到安慰，因為我們知道上帝靠近傷心的人（34篇18節）。我們花越多時間禱告、閱讀聖經，就越能以「稱謝進入祂的門」，以「讚美進入祂的院」，並「感謝祂，稱頌祂的名」（100篇4節）。我們能「向耶和華歡呼」（1節），尤其在你我身處困境時，更當如此，因為我們的上帝信實可靠！

I’ve been following and praying for a fellow writer who’s been posting online about her cancer journey. She alternates between sharing updates about her physical pain and challenges and sharing prayer requests with Scripture and praises to God. It’s beautiful to see her courageous smile whether she’s in the hospital awaiting treatments or at home wearing a bandana because her hair is falling out. With each challenge, she never fails to encourage others to trust God during trials.

When we’re going through difficulties, it may be challenging to find reasons to be grateful and to praise God. However, Psalm 100 gives us reasons to rejoice and give God praise despite our circumstances. The psalmist says: “Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture” (v. 3). He adds, “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (v. 5).

Whatever our trial, we can take comfort knowing that God is near to our broken hearts (34:18). The more time we spend with God in prayer and reading the Bible, the more we’ll be able to “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise” and “give thanks to him and praise his name” (100:4). We can “shout for joy to the Lord” (v. 1) even and perhaps especially when we’re in a difficult season because our God is faithful.