The Way of Faith 信心的法则

[Dexu Xia]

The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me.” Judges 7:2

In a 2017 World Cup qualifying match that pitted the US against Trinidad and Tobago, the Soca Warriors shocked the world when they beat the US men’s national team, a team ranked considerably higher. The upset eliminated the US team from the 2018 World Cup.

Trinidad and Tobago’s victory was so unexpected in part because the United States’ population and resources dwarfed those of the small Caribbean nation. But those seemingly insurmountable advantages weren’t enough to defeat the passionate Soca Warriors.

The story of Gideon and the Midianites features a similar upset, one between a small group of fighters and a large army. The Israelite army actually had more than thirty-thousand fighters, but the Lord whittled the army down to just three hundred warriors so the nation would learn that their success was dependent on God—not the size of their army, the amount of money in their treasury, or the skill of their leaders (Judges 7:1–8).

It can be tempting to put our trust and confidence in things we can see or measure, but that’s not the way of faith. Though it’s often difficult, when we're willing to depend on God, to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10), we can go into situations with courage and confidence, even when we feel overwhelmed and unqualified. His presence and power can do amazing things in and through us.

When have you faced seemingly insurmountable odds? Whether you tasted victory or defeat, how did you experience God’s provision for you?

God, when life gets challenging, help me learn to rely more and more on Your mighty power and grace.

耶和华对基甸说：“跟随你的人过多，我不能将米甸人交在他们手中，免得以色列人向我夸大。”—士师记7章2节

在2017年世界杯足球资格赛中，美国对上了千里达及托巴哥共和国。当这群“苏卡战士”击败了排名比他们高出56位的美国代表队时，全世界都为之震惊，而以2比1意外落败的美国队也因此无法进军2018年的世界杯。

千里达及托巴哥共和国的胜利出人意料，部分原因是与美国相较之下，这个加勒比海小国无论人口或资源都相形见绌，但这些看似难以超越的优势却没有让热血的苏卡战士们败退。

基甸攻打米甸人的事迹也同样出人意料，一小群战士竟然打败了庞大的军队。实际上以色列当时拥有超过3万人的军队，但上帝却将兵力削减到只剩3百名战士，为要使以色列人明白，胜利是来自于倚靠上帝，而非仰赖军力强大或府库充盈，也不是倚仗具备雄才大略的领袖（士师记7章1-8节）。

我们很容易将信心建立在可以看到或可以衡量的事物上，但这却不是信心的法则。踏上信心之路虽然艰辛，但只要愿意信靠上帝，“倚赖祂的大能大力”（以弗所书6章10节），就算自觉无法胜任或不知所措，也能带着勇气和信心去面对各种景况。上帝的同在和权能要彰显在我们身上，并藉着我们施行奇事。

你何时曾面对看似难以突破的难关？
无论结果是胜利或失败，你如何经历了上帝的供应？

上帝啊，当我在生活中遇到挑战时，求祢帮助我
能学习愈加仰赖祢的大能与恩典。