Though / ”即使
Dexu Xia
“Though”
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. Habakkuk 3:18
In 2017, the opportunity to help people in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in the US prompted a group of us to travel to Houston. Our goal was to encourage people who’d been impacted by the storm. In the process, our own faith was challenged and strengthened as we stood with them in their damaged church buildings and homes.
The radiant faith exhibited by a number of these people in the wake of Harvey is what we see expressed by Habakkuk at the end of his seventh-century bc prophecy. The prophet predicted that tough times were on the way (1:5–2:1); things would get worse before they got better. The end of the prophecy finds him pondering the potential of earthly losses and the word though makes a threefold appearance: “Though the fig tree does not bud . . . ; though the olive crop fails . . . ; though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls” (3:17).
How do we position ourselves in the face of unimaginable losses such as the loss of health or employment, the death of a loved one, or a devastating natural disaster? Habakkuk’s “Ode for Tough Times” calls us to confident faith and trust in God, who is the source of salvation (v. 18), strength, and stability (v. 19) for yesterday, today, and forever. In the end, those who trust Him will never be disappointed.
Reflect & Pray
How has God met your need during difficult times? How can you encourage others when they face a crisis?
Father, even when life is tough and uncertain, please keep my faith anchored in You, my source of salvation and strength.
即使
然而，我要因耶和华欢欣，因救我的上帝喜乐。-哈巴谷书3章18节
在2017年，飓风哈维重创美国。为了帮助和鼓励受难的灾民，我们一群人便前往灾情严重的休士顿，希望为这些被飓风破坏家园的人略尽绵薄之力。当我们和灾民站在残破的教会大楼和倒塌的房屋内，我们自己的信心面临了极大的挑战，但同时也更加坚定。
飓风哈维过后，有些人依然信心坚定。就像公元前七世纪末，先知哈巴谷说了预言之后，仍对上帝充满信心。这位先知晓得艰困的时刻即将来临（1章5节-2章1节），而且在出现转机之前，情况只会持续恶化。他在预言的结尾，想到未来可能会粮食短缺，但却说了三次“即使”：“即使无花果树不结果子”；“即使橄榄树不结橄榄”；“即使羊群死光”（3章17节，现中修订版），他仍要因上帝而喜乐。
如果有一天，我们失去了健康、工作和挚爱，或因天灾蒙受巨大的损失，我们会怎么样呢？先知哈巴谷在“信心之歌”中提醒我们，要以坚定的信心全然信靠上帝。因为从昨日、今日直到永远，上帝是我们的拯救（18节）、我们的力量，祂使我们的脚步稳当（19节）。最后，信靠祂的人将不会失望！
亲爱的天父，虽然生活充满艰困和未知，
但求祢使我仍能坚定地信靠祢，
因祢是我的拯救和力量。
身陷困境时，上帝如何供应你的需求？
别人面临危机时，你要如何鼓励他们呢？