Faith not sight

 

The bottom line — that is always what I want to see. I read mysteries because I love the endings, especially those that surprise me. When I pray, I’m eager to see the answers which are always something unexpected, a surprise.

The problem with this tendency comes when I am seeing only partial progress. Praying and not seeing answers is like reading a mystery story and stopping in the middle of the book. What happened? Who did it? What was the result? Earlier in this Christian life, God brought the realization that faith needs to endure, even without answers. He is always teaching me to be joyful over partial progress and thankful for baby steps. I still struggle with that.

This morning my prayers were for greater strides. Some on my prayer list seem to be the same for years — not at all interested in spiritual matters or in Jesus. I felt like I might die without seeing any answers. One of my friends said both her parents prayed for their children for years, then died, but she was the only one who had been saved. The rest were saved, but after their mom and dad were gone. I don’t want that either.

Today’s reading strongly scolds readers for taking burdens on themselves, burdens that belong to God. We trust Him to run the universe but not to run our own lives. It misses the mark for me because I am trusting Him to run my life. The problem isn’t lack of trust, but impatience. I’d like to learn all He wants me to learn from unanswered prayer and then quickly see what He does after that. In other words, turn the pages, God. I want to see the ending of this mysterious plot that You are writing!

Another reading from “Born to Battle” by R. Arthur Matthews tells me that the bigger issue is not about seeing the results but continuing to pray for the salvation of souls. I’m not to allow my desire for results to interfere with the work of prayer for those results.

Paul was in jail, yet thought about others: “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:3–6) His mind did not see results yet he was certain that God would complete His work.

Later, this man asked for prayer after describing the necessary ‘wardrobe’ and attitude for prayer. He said:

“…and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:17–20)

This is a rebuke too, milder yet a reminder to stop feeling anxious for results and keep praying for them. One more passage comes to mind:

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. (1 John 5:14–15)

PRAY: Jesus, I may not see the last chapter, but You remind that You are listening, and I know that You do not want anyone to perish, so I can pray for people to be saved according to Your will and know that You have already written their ending. Forgive my desire to ‘see’ and fill me with that faith that believes in You without any evidence in these matters except Your gracious promises. As a song says, make my heart believe. Amen.

Trusting in what I cannot see… yet!

The hurricane in south USA brought anxiety to my heart. Not only feeling angst for the many people who lost everything, and for those who lost family members, but also one of our adult children lives close to the places that were destroyed. She didn’t call right away, and although I was praying for her and others in that dire situation, I had no affirmation that she was okay, only trusting God that it was so.

Eventually we communicated. Other things were happening in her life but that unreal storm missed her and her family by a couple hours. She knows people who lost everything, and like me, is devastated by this never-before horrendous event.

Today’s devotional reading is about wanting to know what is going on with evidence — in contrast to trusting God when we do not know what is going on. I have a friend that often says that she needs an affirmation to supplement her faith, and finds it hard to trust God when she does not see something happening in regard to her prayers. I’ve questioned that sort of ‘faith’ yet it happens to me too.

The devotional describes this as human thinking. We tend to require some evidence before believing something God says will happen. Even a good feeling about it helps, but something visual is better, or something like a phone call from a family member who could be in danger. I tend to want a strong feeling that something will be okay, a feeling that seems strong and is supposedly reliable. This translates to wanting an affirmation so I can see before I believe that God is answering my prayers. However, this is not the way of faith.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Faith is described much like something my mother wrote in the back of her Bible: “God said it, I believe it. That settles it.”

I often cannot see what God is doing, but if He makes a promise or any statement about something, my faith cannot be in seeing it happen, but in the reality that God said it would happen. Consider this well-known verse:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Do I mope about waiting until I die to see if I have eternal life before I can believe it? Obviously if I did that, then my faith was not in what the Word of God says, but in the evidence before my eyes. That would not only be foolish, it would be too late then to believe, and is not a walk of faith in this life either.

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
… for we walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)

The facts are whatever God says. He tells me to believe in Christ and I will live eternally. I cannot base my faith on any affirmation, for the affirmation comes with a caveat — faith comes first, not after it. This applies to now, everyday life, not just after I die.

The sad part is that no matter how many times God affirms that He will take care of something, looking for proof or evidence that He will do it is a mere demonstration that I am not taking Him at His Word, not believing Him at all. Such “faith” is not faith but unbelief, and not only that, “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23)

PRAY: Jesus, I know that You love me because You say so. Even though the evidence is Calvary, this is not about my feelings or even about what I can see. There are days when I don’t feel loved and it seems nothing is happening to prove it. But Your Word is enough. Today I am tired, and for that problem, You give me this promise:

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:29–31)

And You ask me to move ahead in faith that You will do it rather than sitting here waiting for it to happen before I believe You. I’m aware that You want me to move into this day, faint, weary, even exhausted, but trusting You to give me what I need before I see it happen. Again, a timely truth and another test of faith…

He is right here with me . . .

An elderly Christian friend once told me that she didn’t pray in the normal sense of having a time of prayer because she considered every word she said, even every thought, was a prayer to God.

At first I thought that she was a bit daft, but today’s devotional reading has me rethinking her idea. The author points out that many people wish they could see God, or at least have a deeper sense of His presence so that “every act of our soul is done before Him and every word spoken in prayer is as really spoken to Him as if our eyes could see Him and our hands could touch Him.”

This brought to mind how Jesus seemed to have a particular focus on giving sight to the blind. This goes back to an OT story of Elisha who faced enemies. He was not fearful but his man servant was terrified.

Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:17)

I’ve read similar missionary testimonies where God opened the eyes of His people when they were surrounded by enemies and in grave danger so they could see that they were surrounded by angels. Others tell of their enemies later testifying to seeing armies of soldiers protecting God’s people. God wants His children to know by sight that He is always near.

Perhaps that is one reason the NT has many records of how Jesus opened the eyes of the blind. Yes, they wanted to see physically, yet this suggests to me a vivid illustration of how He also cures spiritual blindness and how He wants His people to know that we are never alone.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, (Luke 4:18)

In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. (Luke 7:21)

Jesus controls both spiritual and physical sight. The disciples exemplify the first as Jesus “opened their eyes and they recognized him” then He “vanished from their sight.” (Luke 24:31)

At Paul’s conversion, he was without sight for three days, then a man laid his hands on him so that he might regain his sight. He said, “ ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized.” (Acts 9:9-18)

Of course the devotional points out that we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7) yet all this illustrates that sight is not just physical. Faith is the spiritual ability to ‘see God’ — to realize His presence without seeing it. God was gracious to Elisha’s servant, to Paul, to the disciples, and the same to many of His children. He says, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” He is with me always. Faith ‘sees’ the reality of His presence. My eyes see the evidence of His work in creation and in His children.

Not only that, He hears every word I say and knows my thoughts. With that understanding, I can see how my friend could consider her every word and every thought was communication with God. She listened and heard His words and His thoughts also.

PRAY: Jesus, I know Your presence and know how I can “pray without ceasing” yet this is not an excuse or a reason to drop formal or usual times of prayer. However, it is a reason to guard my heart and my words, a reason to be aware of what is going on in my life. You know it anyway and I’m so glad that no matter where I go or what I do, You are right beside me, listening and telling me what I need to know as I share my ideas and burdens with You.

 

Walk by faith, not by sight or…

Since having pneumonia, changing to a Mac instead of a PC (learning curve) and having challenges come at me one after the other, I’m realizing a helplessness that is important to Christian living but I’m not enjoying it very much. Being dependent on Christ alone is not as easy as the words to many of our hymns and songs claim it to be.

Today’s devotional says many Christians sing words like: “Thou, O Christ, art all I want, More than all in Thee I find” but the author doubts if we could honestly say those words express the reality in our experience. I get that. Recently being several times in situations of helplessness, I’ve felt like being in a foreign land where I don’t know the language, have no one to guide me, and the map isn’t making sense. Lost, no routine, not even a friendly face.

Yes, that is an exaggeration, and I do realize that this is part of the sanctification process. I do want to honestly say God is enough, but my experience has been pushing me in many directions. I would like a constant realization of His presence, a sense of His love, and consistent answers to my prayers. Even so, I’m not sure what ‘Christ alone’ looks or feels like. Maybe David didn’t either when he wrote these words;

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. (Psalm 62:1–2)

It might be easier to describe what this means by what it does not mean. I do trust Christ alone for my salvation. Helplessness adds to the truth that in ourselves, we are not able to be godly people, never mind set ourselves on the way to heaven or gain eternal life. This is a given.

However, to say that God is enough is not about having sound doctrines. While having them challenged does not make them unsound, it does wipe any cocky confidence out of my heart. I cannot rely on every jot and tittle in my beliefs when helplessness also mocks them. If I know it all, why then do I suffer as if I know nothing?

God is enough is not about good feelings either, no more than I can rely on ‘my feelings, or on any righteous works, or fervent prayers, or earnest striving’ as the devotional writer says, because waiting on God can seem like building on the sand. He cannot be second-guessed. That means “God is enough” is not being sure about much of anything else.

At the same time, in all that uncertainty, I cannot put my trust in God alone because all else fails and there is nowhere else to go. I need to trust Him alone just because God is God — whether I can hear Him speak, or see Him at work, or know for sure that He is answering my prayers.

PRAY: Lord, it is easiest to trust You when You speak and when I can see You in action. Yet when I cannot, You have not changed. You are who You are and faith means knowing You will do what You do whether I am in on it or not. Keep me close.

I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. (Psalm 18:1–3)

Insight, not seeing

Sometimes Spurgeon’s devotional is expressed in flowery descriptions of Christ that are lovely, yet beyond me. While I can say I love Him with words, His Word tells me that obedience is the better way to express my love for Him. In my experience, words can often be just that, words.

On the days that I cannot relate to those descriptions, I turn to Oswald Chambers and My Utmost for His Highest. Today, he focuses on obedience even when I have no vision of God at all. He uses the Moffatt translation which says:

I have to lead my life in faith, without seeing Him. (2 Corinthians 5:7)

My version is the more traditional, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (ESV). A modern version says it this way, “It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going” (The Message).

All of them express encouragement to obey God even when I cannot see Him or the results of what I am doing. As Chambers says, I can be conscious of God’s attention, then plunged into trials and difficulties where it seems He is no longer listening or speaking. This is a test. Will I obey anyway? Or do I need His pat on my head to keep going?

Chambers describes this as God trying to make me do my duty as an obscure person. He says that none of us would be obscure spiritually if we could help it. I agree. I like the attention of His blessing on my life, and even if I can manage to keep those blessings to myself, I still relish in them. The question is, can I do my duty when God has shut up heaven? Am I relying on Him in faith, or on experiences?

Chambers says that an “illuminated saint with golden halo and the flush of inspiration. . . . is no good, abnormal, unfit for daily life, and altogether unlike God.” Rather, God put me here as an ordinary person, not an angel or some sort of superior being. I can obey Him because I have His life in me, not because I am anything special. 

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. (2 Corinthians 4:7)

The memories of mountain top experiences with God are often enough to carry me through these days when it seems He is gone, but if I try to recreate them, it shows that I am more interested in emotions and experience than I am in God.

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Father, I thank You for those times when You are silent. It shows me that You are pushing me to greater maturity. You desire that I walk by faith, trusting You no matter what. I know better than to try and force You to make Yourself known, but need forgiveness for those times I beg You to “do something” when I pray. I realize that if You did that, it would ruin the surprises. You always give me moments of inspiration, answers to prayer and the experience of Yourself when I least expect it. That way, I am not led away to self-glory by these wonders, but instead led to humility and worship. Keep my heart focused on You and obedience, not on inspiration and experience. You are my treasure, the One I can trust. I’m fully convinced that even when You hide Yourself, You are still here with me.