5月30日

標　　題：不需要求神跡的信心

經　　節：「一個邪惡淫亂的世代求神跡，除了約拿的神跡以外，再沒有神跡給他看。」耶穌就離開他們去了。（馬太福音十六章4節）

要求神行神跡可能代表你缺乏信心。有些人以為自己得不斷求神跡，來顯示自己的信心。他們臆測，任何時候神都要作出驚人壯觀的事。他們認為，神要醫治每一個病人，並且提供超自然的奇跡，讓我們脫離每個困境。耶穌責備那些硬要祂行神跡的人，因為祂清楚瞭解他們的心。祂認清那些人若無神跡奇事一直支持他們的信心，他們就沒辦法相信祂。他們的信心太小，以至於沒有常見到神跡就開始懷疑。

有時候，我們喜歡神跡甚於那位行神跡者。神稱這種心態是拜偶像。祂反對這種想法，拒絕應他們的要求行神跡（耶利米書二：11∼13）。有時候，最偉大的信心行動並不是求神跡。舊約其中一段最感人的信心詮述，是沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌，他們為了順服神，將被推入大火熊熊燃燒的火窯中，但他們毫無所懼地對尼布甲尼撒王說：「即便如此，我們所事奉的神能將我們從烈火的窯中救出來。王啊！祂也必救我們脫離你的手；即或不然，王啊！你當知道我們決不事奉你的神，也不敬拜你所立的金像。」（但以理書三：17∼18）他們對神拯救他們的能力有信心，他們全然相信祂，以至於一點也沒有求神免除他們的危難。

你需要神跡來維繫你的信心嗎？或者，你全然地信任神，你能說：「倘若不成，我仍相信神！」

Faith That Doesn’t Ask

"A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." And He left them and departed. (Matthew 16:4)

Asking God for a miracle may indicate a lack of faith. Some feel that they demonstrate great faith by continually asking God for miracles. They assume that in every situation God wants to do the spectacular. They presume, for example, that God wants to heal anyone who is sick or provide a miraculous escape from every difficulty they face. Jesus condemned those who insisted that He perform miracles, because He knew their hearts. He recognized that they could not believe Him without constantly undergirding their faith with signs. Their faith was not strong enough to survive without a regular supply of the miraculous. Jesus condemned this lack of faith and_ left them.

There are times when we prefer the miracle over the miracle worker. God calls this idolatry, and He discouraged it by refusing to provide miracles on demand (Jer. 2:11–13). Sometimes the greatest act of faith is not to ask for a miracle. One of the most amazing statements of faith in the Old Testament came from Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as they faced the fiery furnace because of their obedience to God. They expressed true faith when they assured king Nebuchadnezzar: “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (Dan. 3:17–18). They were confident in God’s ability to deliver them, but they trusted Him so completely that they did not ask to be spared.

Does your faith need miracles to sustain it? Or do you trust God so totally that you can say, “But if not, I will still trust the Lord!”?