“For we walk by faith, not by sight”. 2 Corinthians 5:7
“And he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” l Corinthians 12:9
I believe that many Christians have read God’s Word all of their life, and it just seems natural that we take much of it for granted. Let’s take just one remarkable story in Scripture that is familiar to all of us, that being the ordeal of Job. We’ve read that account over and over again, and perhaps God has given you greater insight in your life and taught you some deep lessons because of this wondrous story of God’s sovereignty and providence. Having said that, I’m sure you never envisioned that one day, you could be in the midst of some affliction that would find you in a similar situation like Job – one that would bring you to the brink and be the biggest test of your life.
Job may have suffered more than anyone with the exception of our Savior, as such I would never dare to compare my life or what has happened to me with what Job had to endure. God did allow an affliction to be a part of my life back in the spring of 2014, where I suffered a brain-stem/spinal cord stroke while out hiking in the Sierra’s with my wife. The roughest part was the first 5-6 months, as they couldn’t give me a name, or a full diagnosis of what had happened to me.
My point of all this is that certain scriptures that you’ve known all of your life, suddenly take on new meaning, as you find yourself in unchartered territory, I can say with some confidence that Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:7 and 12:9 have become like a motto, or perhaps a better way to say it; – life verses for me.
Eight powerful words that I have prayed for the strength to live by with every new day.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” Both of these verses are joined together by Paul. When God allows us to be in crisis mode, he teaches us to walk by faith, not by sight, and everyday he impresses upon us, no matter how severe the storm, that his grace is sufficient for us.
Over the last nine years, I have seen this verse ring true in my life both spiritually and literally as I navigate through life. Merriam Webster defines faith as, “Belief in, loyalty to, and complete trust in God, and as a firm belief in something for which there is no proof.” Yes, there have been many dark nights of the soul; nights where I can agree with David who said, “weeping comes at night, but joy comes in the morning.” As hard as it is to pass many long nights, (as I don't crash until 6 AM), – guess what? The sun always comes up, and a new day in the Lord begins.
So, what does it mean to navigate the world solely on your trust in God and on your belief in the unseen? What does it mean to walk by faith and not by sight? This verse challenges us to live differently. It challenges us to not live our lives based only on what we see going on around us, but rather to let our lives be guided by our faith in Jesus.
Digging Deeper Into The Passage
Justification, like sanctification, is a gift of grace. The former is God's gift of grace to the unsaved sinner, and the latter is God's gift of grace to the saved saint. Both are accessed by faith, as demonstrated throughout Scripture.
It was the constraining love of Christ that motivated Paul to proclaim the gospel of God and present the glory of the Christian faith to the people of his day. Paul needed these believers to understand the nature of the New Covenant. An unbeliever cannot earn his salvation through works of the Law, nor can a Christian live a God-honoring life through deeds of the flesh. We are saved by faith and not by works of the flesh... and we must walk by faith and not by sight.
Faith is believing all God has said in His Word - first, for our justification and then, for living a sanctified life. Faith is accepting scriptural truth as a firm fact. Faith is having the assurance that what we hope for in Christ will certainly come to pass. Indeed, without faith it is impossible to please God.
The Christian life of faith appears to be a paradox, for it seems to fly in the face of logical thinking. Instead of earning salvation by merit or by working hard to gain it... we can only receive it as a free gift of God's grace. And having been saved by grace through faith, we are to die to self, and everything that focuses on ME, in order to live for God.
Walking by faith in this life, means we are to rely completely on all that God has said in His Word. The life of faith filters our thoughts, actions, attitudes, and words, through the holy Scriptures, as we listen to the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit, follow His directions, and trust in the Lord with all our heart.
We are saved by grace through faith in Christ, and we are to walk by faith and not by sight. Nor are we to live by trusting in what we imagine or what we feel. But sadly, many Christians are diverted away from this path of faith to living by sight, by signs, by senses and emotions, by imagination, by feelings, by worldly philosophies, or extra-biblical revelations, especially when they see life's stormy seas and the mountains of difficult circumstances rising up to block their path.
However, the man or woman that lives by faith as well as being saved by faith, accepts the truth that God uses all the storms and problems of life, as well as times of great joy and rejoicing, to remove all the pride and selfishness of our old sin nature, as He gently conforms us into the beautiful image of the lovely Lord Jesus.
The man or woman who lives by faith uses life's stumbling-blocks as stepping stones. Faith allows obstacles to be changed into opportunities, and wounds that are inflicted become a witness to the generous grace He pours out into our lives in great abundance. When we live by faith, we remain in fellowship with the Lord, and can become healing balm and a godly comfort in the lives of others, who are facing similar difficulties.
Living by faith frequently contrasts the visible unreality of this fake, false, and failing world, with the invisible reality of true, glorious, eternal, heavenly things, that are our promised inheritance, in Christ.
Happy is the one who understands that faith is not only required for salvation, but is the necessary ingredient to live a victorious Christian life. Living by faith simply means that we trust completely... all that God has said in His Word. It means…
Keep Moving, Even if You Don’t Know Where You are Going
Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Those are some of the truest words I have ever heard! In this way, “Walk by faith, not by sight” means, even though you might not be able to see where you’re going, you keep moving!
In Exodus 13, God is leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Instead of taking the easier, more direct route that they were more familiar with, God delivers them through the wilderness.
You see, God knew what was ahead. He knew that the better journey for the people was the one that, to them, seemed harder and more treacherous. Moses and the Israelites, whom he was leading, did not know which way to go as they walked along, but God made his presence known.
“After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Ethan on the edge of the desert. By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.” (Exodus 13:20-22)
Even though the people did not know where they were going, they kept moving and looked to God as their guide.
Just like the Israelites, I had a very long, hard, and unfamiliar journey ahead of me after my diagnosis and I had no idea which way to turn. God did not choose to heal me physically, although this would have been the easy way out of my troubles. Instead, he chose to deliver me through the hardships and grief that my disability brought.
God showed his presence to the Israelites as he guided them with a pillar of clouds and a fire by night. By following these signs, the Israelites were indeed delivered from Egypt. I, too, had to search for God’s presence during my first few months after getting the diagnosis of “Central Pain Syndrome", and I still lean heavily on His guidance today to get me through each day.
I struggled early on and all I could do was to turn to my faith. When faced with my disability, I couldn’t see the whole staircase, the whole big picture of my life, but I just took one little step at a time. Trusting that God would show me that next step and guide me as I went, just like Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness.
To Understand That There is More Than What Can Be Seen
As my disease has progressed, the biggest hit has been to my mobility. These days, it takes nearly 30 minutes to walk a hundred yards. I don’t want to call attention to myself, but it can’t be helped, as people spot me in a moment, and are always trying to help in any way possible.
My goal is for people to look beyond my obvious disability and see me as someone who is genuinely trying to bring glory to God through my disability. The men in prison that I meet with every Friday and Saturday let me know what it means to them that I would make the trip to come and enjoy fellowship with them. As the years have gone by, they look beyond my disease and are thankful that I find encouragement in the time spent with them. If the man sitting across from me can endure three life sentences, all along demonstrating an amazing contentment in Christ – I can take a lesson from them and do likewise. God’s grace remains sufficient for them, as it is for me.
As 2 Corinthians 4:18 tells us, those things are not that important anyway.
“As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)
Like 2 Corinthians 5 tells us, this worldly body is really just a tent anyway. We have a much better dwelling place waiting for us in heaven, and what we “see” is not going to get us there, but what is in our hearts surely will.
So, walking by faith and not by sight means that we live today according to God’s promises, even though we cannot see them, and not according to the temporary, arbitrary things that our eyes often focus on here on earth.
Trust God…. Even When You Can’t See Him Working
I think we have all had times in our lives when we think, “Is God even listening?” “Is He there at all?” I know that I have definitely had these thoughts.
When we are facing something difficult and we don’t seem to get any relief from the pain, worries, or anxieties that it brings, even after praying relentlessly, it can be easy to feel as though God has abandoned us. I prayed constantly for healing after I lost my ability to walk normally and still do, but my Lord in his providence has seen fit to leave me in this condition. . Does that mean that God was not or is not working in my life? NO WAY! It means that he will come alongside me everyday in my affliction, giving me the grace and strength to fight the good fight, and to finish my race with distinction.
I’ll admit, I was very disappointed at first when I did not receive physical healing. I prayed and prayed and prayed, and then somewhat early on God showed me that this affliction was likely to be with me until I drew my last breath. I knew God had the power to bring healing if it was his will, so why was he doing nothing? It took me time to realize that he was working in my life, just not the way that I wanted or could see at the moment.
God was bringing the scriptures alive in my life, showing me that as I meditate and feast on His Word, I would find an increase of faith and strength for the day. Psalm 119:92 became a favorite to carry around with me. “Unless Your word had become my delight, I might have perished in my affliction.” He’s been teaching me for nine long years to stand alongside the Apostle Paul’s declaration. “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
He has been working on my heart, healing me spiritually.
He was making me more patient so that I could wait for a new purpose.
He was making me more confident, despite my disability, so that I could share what he had done in my life with others.
We can see a Biblical example of this in the book of Esther. Did you know that God is not mentioned once in this book? His hand is evident throughout it though.
He prepared Esther by making her queen and giving her courage, softened the king’s heart towards Mordecai at the right time, and gave the Jews relief from their sorrow through all the events that would follow.
Walking by faith, not by sight means that, even though we may not see God working right now, we trust and believe that he is preparing us for blessings and relief from what we are facing somewhere down the road.
It means that we keep rejoicing and praising Him through the hard times, knowing that God is still in control.
“Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.” (1 Peter 1:8)
My Prayer
Loving Father, thank You for my great salvation. I pray that You would help me walk by faith, to live by faith, to pray in faith, and to trust all that is written in Your Word of truth - by faith. I pray that I may die to myself and my own abilities, and rest entirely on You and Your sufficient grace in all I say and do. This I ask in Jesus' name, AMEN.
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