No Impossible Obstacles 逾越障碍

[Dexu Xia]

No Impossible Obstacles

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.  Hebrews 11:1

As an adult leader, I arranged a student field trip to an obstacle course. We instructed students to slip into safety gear and scale an eight-foot wall. Those who went first encouraged each climber to trust the harness and keep moving forward without looking down. One of our students stared at the barrier as we secured belts and buckles around her waist. “There’s no way I can do this,” she said. Affirming the strength of her harness, we encouraged her and cheered when she climbed up the wall and stepped onto the high platform.

When we face problems that seem impossible to conquer, fears and insecurities can cause doubts. The assurance of God’s unchanging might, goodness, and faithfulness creates a strong harness of trust. This confident assurance fueled the courage of the Old Testament saints, who demonstrated that faith trumps our need to know every detail of God’s plan (Hebrews 11:1–13, 39). With conviction, we seek God earnestly, often standing alone when we trust Him. We can adjust the way we approach our challenges by viewing our circumstances with an eternal perspective—knowing our trials are only temporary (vv. 13–16).

Focusing on the steep climbs in life can prevent us from believing that God will bring us through. But knowing He’s with us, we can harness our uncertainties by faith as we trust God to help us overcome obstacles that once seemed impossible.

How can you become more courageous in the face of an impossible task?  How do you feel when you’ve accomplished something you didn’t think you could do?

Father, thank You for being the Author and Perfecter of my faith, so that the measure of my faith when I face obstacles is reliant on Your strength, not my own.

逾越障碍

信就是所望之事的实底，是未见之事的确据。—希伯来书11章1节

身为领队，我带学生们前往超越障碍训练场，进行校外活动。我们指导学生穿上安全配备之后，就让他们攀登一面将近3公尺高的墙。那些先完成的人就鼓励每一个攀登者要相信安全带，不要往下看，只管往上爬。我们帮一位学生系紧环扣跟腰带时，她盯着那些障碍物，说：“我绝对爬不上去！”我们确认她的安全带的承受力之后，便鼓励她爬上那面墙，当她爬上墙顶上的高台时，所有人都为她欢呼！

当面对看似不可能解决的困难时，恐惧与不安会让我们心生疑虑。但上帝不变的大能、仁慈和信实的确据，能形成强韧可靠的安全带。这样的确据也激励了旧约时代的圣徒，让他们在尚未完全了解上帝计划中的所有细节时，可以全心信靠上帝（希伯来书11章1-13、39节）。当我们带着确信，热切地寻求上帝，完全信靠祂时，我们就会与世人有分别。因为我们可以调整自己看待困境的眼光，将目前的景况与永恒的盼望相比，就会知道我们的试炼只是暂时的（13-16节）。

专注于生命中难走的道路跟陡峭的山坡，会让我们无法相信上帝能带领我们超越这些障碍。然而，知道上帝与我们同在，我们就能凭信心胜过内心的疑虑，相信上帝会帮助我们克服那些曾经看似不可能超越的障碍。

你如何能更有勇气地去面对不可能解决的难题？
解决难题之后，你有什么感受呢？

耶稣，感谢祢是我们信心的创始成终者，好让我们在面对障碍时，完全倚靠祢的大能，而不依赖自己的能力。