When Faith and Sight Intersect

Yesterday we experienced an answer to prayer, a prayer we trusted God to answer in His time and will, yet when the answer came, our reaction was great surprise and joy. It reminded me of the story in Acts where Christians were praying for Peter who was in jail. God released him and he went to the prayer place. The woman who answered the door was so surprised that she left him at the door to run and tell the others. We believe God hears and answers, so why are we so surprised!

The Bible tells me to walk by faith, not by sight. That is, don’t rely on what I see but on God who can change things that I see. Our prayers are not about seeing but trusting, yet when He answers and the answers are visible, we are surprised. Perhaps surprise is more about human nature than faith? I’m not certain.

Today’s devotional is about four ways God reveals His will to us. They are through: Scripture, circumstances, convictions He gives to other advisers, and that inner ‘voice’ of the Holy Spirit in our minds. All these will agree if the Lord is indeed speaking. The world, our old nature, and the devil may not, but God's voice will always be in harmony with itself no matter how many different ways He may speak.

The Scriptures come first, so knowing the Word of God is vital, not just knowing what it says but rightly interpreting it. This will be in harmony with the Holy Spirit for He is the One who reveals truth to us. That is vital, but so is our receptivity. For instance, we need to be like little children. As one pastor said, the distinctive nature of a child is receptivity:

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; (Matthew 11:25)

Of course that means being a child that is in His family. That happens through relationship. Jesus said that eternal life is knowing God (John 17) and that happens also by revelation:

All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. (Matthew 11:27)

God also reveals what I need to know so I can be transformed. That happens as He reveals Jesus to me and as I gaze at Him, I am transformed into that likeness.

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. (Romans 1:17-18)

These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10)

(God) was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; (Galatians 1:16)

Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. (Philippians 3:15)

In these verses, faith does become sight. That is, when God reveals Jesus to me and I am changed, and those changes are meant to be visible and like Jesus. When He tells me what to do and I obey, His revelation is seen in my obedience. If I have a contrary idea and He reveals that to me, the resulting change is seen in my talk and walk. Even so, those changes happen because I’ve believed God.

In other words, a life of faith is not only about what is believed but the visible results that are a result of believing what God reveals to me. As James says:

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (James 2:14–17)

PRAY: Jesus, I can see how that well-known statement, “walk by faith not by sight” is talking about my life. Trust is not based on what I can easily see, but on who You are and what You tell me.  However it is clear that a ‘walk by faith not by sight’ is effective because that walk can be seen by those who watch me or anyone else whose faith governs how they live. May I faithfully and visibly display Your grace and goodness.

The dilemma of obedience

When I was a new Christian, my sister, who had been recently saved through the testimony of a missionary in a foreign country, told me to read the Bible until God spoke to me, then write down what I heard from Him. This principle has served me well. Before using digital files, I filled dozens of notebooks with the things God said to me personally. Some of them read like love letters.

Chambers did the same, but his writings are often complex. Readers not totally familiar with the Bible and principles of Christian living may not understand what Chambers heard from God. However, if the Lord uses his words to speak to their hearts, it will come through loud and clear.

Today, he writes about sharing with others what God says. The example is young Samuel who had never heard from God, but the Lord came to him several times. The boy thought it was the priest, Eli, but the priest told him it was the Lord.

And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. (1 Samuel 3:10–15)

God didn’t order Samuel to share this with Eli; he had to decide that for himself. He seemed to feel that he must shield this old priest from the bad news, but he also seemed to know that he must do so lest he put a barrier between himself and God. It was a tough decision.

This type of decision crosses my path many times. I have a relative that belongs to a cult. I am praying for him, and we have often talked about spiritual matters. He is utterly deceived in so many areas, but also well trained to resist anyone who shows him biblical truth. I’ve prayed for him for many years. Do I tell this ‘Eli’ in my life what God has shown to me? Do I say what comes to mind? Do I take advantage of every opportunity to show him what the Bible says? Or do I wait on the Holy Spirit to open his heart?

For me, this is a dilemma that depends totally on listening for the voice of God. But this is difficult because He could direct me either way. That is, I know what His Word says about speaking up, about waiting on Him, and about His timing and not mine, but my own heart often interferes. I want God’s truth to be known, and I want this relative to know it, but I cannot ram it down a resistant throat.

Chambers says to “get into the habit of saying, ‘Speak, Lord’ and life will become a romance.” He is right. In all pressing situations, I not only need to ask Him to speak, but also make time to listen, and particularly to do what He says. As I listen and obey, my hearing improves!

Chambers adds one more thought: Never seek the advice of another about anything God puts before me as a decision I must make before Him. That is, if I ask human advice instead of God’s direction about when to speak, Chambers says I will nearly always side with Satan. I need to remember Paul who heard the Lord calling him to preach to the Gentiles. He said, “I did not immediately consult with anyone.” (Galatians 1:16) Instead, he spent a long time with the Lord to make certain that he was “not running or and not run in vain.”

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My hubby is discouraged. The doctor put on the whiteboard in his room that discharge would be “five days or greater.” Bob has not been in there for weeks and weeks, but he has been very healthy for years. This is a trial for him. He is grateful I am there and thankful for the care he is getting, but he says being in isolation seems like being in a prison cell. The hospital staff are not going into his room very often, likely because of the suit/mask/gloves routine each time. He still has crackling in his lungs and other nasty symptoms, besides the cough that keeps him from having much sleep. He is tired and wants to breathe some fresh air that does not get fed into him through a tube. He asked for prayer regarding his attitude.