「讓我將羊毛再試一次。但願只有羊毛是乾的，而地上都有露水。」－士師記6:39
在信心經歷的第一個階段裡，除非看見顯出的兆頭或清楚的感覺，我們才肯相信接受。
就像基甸一樣，非等到伸手確定羊毛是濕的，我們才願意相信神。這或許也可稱為真實的信心，不過這種信心不夠完全就是了；這種信心總要四處尋找神話語之外的感覺與憑據。
若我們能不憑著感覺來信靠神，那就是信心經歷上的一大進步了；什麼時候能不憑著情感來相信神，什麼時候我們就會蒙福，這是信心的第二階段。
在信心經歷的第三階段中，和基甸與羊毛的經歷恰恰相反。
第一階段的信心尋找一種「對」的感覺；第二階段的信心已經超越感覺的有無，直接信靠神；而在信心經歷的第三階段裡，一切的環境、世人、情感、理智都似乎與神的話背道而馳，但此時，我們卻仍然可以相信神的話。
如同保羅在使徒行傳27章中所運用的信心：
「太陽和星辰多日不顯露，又有狂風大浪催逼，我們得救的指望就都絕了」（20）。儘管如此，保羅卻說：
「諸位，要放心振作，我信神怎樣對我說，事情也要怎樣成就」（25）。
盼望神賜我們堅定不移的信心，叫我們在一切的環境都和神的話相牴觸的時候，依然信靠祂的話。
－C.H.P.
"Let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece" (Judges 6:39).
There are degrees to faith. At one stage of Christian experience we cannot believe unless we have some sign or some great manifestation of feeling. We feel our fleece, like Gideon, and if it is wet we are willing to trust God. This may be true faith, but it is imperfect. It always looks for feeling or some token besides the Word of God. It marks quite an advance in faith when we trust God without feelings. It is blessed to believe without having any emotion.
There is a third stage of faith which even transcends that of Gideon and his fleece. The first phase of faith believes when there are favorable emotions, the second believes when there is the absence of feeling, but this third form of faith believes God and His Word when circumstances, emotions, appearances, people, and human reason all urge to the contrary. Paul exercised this faith in Acts 27:20, 25, "And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away." Notwithstanding all this Paul said, "Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer; for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me."
May God give us faith to fully trust His Word though everything else witness the other way. --C. H. P.
