Walking by Faith

Now and then I shut my eyes and walk about my home as if I were blind. Odd, I know, but this does produce an appreciation for sight. It also makes me more aware of what it means to walk by faith . . .

So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:6–7)

However, walking by faith is not the same as blindness. When blind, nothing is visible. All is dark and other senses heighten so the blind person can function, but still must depend on dogs, canes, and other people.

Faith does not need eyes or smell or touch. Yet “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) Without being able to hear the word of God, faith would be impossible.

Problems arise when I become overly-dependent upon those other senses. I want to see what God is doing, hear His voice, be aware of His presence in my situation. Verses that tell me to walk by faith, not by sight, are reminders that I must continue doing as He asks even though there is no spiritual insight or sense of Him at work. When that happens, I feel as if I am ‘plodding’ along in pitch darkness.

Chambers refers to this as a discipline. He says that God is at work trying to make me do my duty without fanfare, a sense of inspiration, no halo about my head, no high-flying spirituality. Those things feel good and make me want to serve God, they easily side-track me. Instead of walking in obedience, I want those emotional and physical rewards, and if they are not there, I start thinking God is not with me and I cannot carry on. This is not walking by faith.

For most of my Christian life, I’ve looked forward to those high spots, the times of God’s blessing, answered prayer, events that I can tell others about where God made His presence and power known. While this is part of Christian living, it cannot be the focus. If I want to walk with God, sometimes that walk will be in darkness. My eyes will be shut to eternal matters and I might not sense His hand in mine. There may not be any answers to prayer, or at least answers that I can see.

During these dark spells, heaven seems to be shut and yet the Word of God says it is not. God may seem as if He is gone, but He said He would never leave me or forsake me. If I fall into walking by sight and wanting evidence that God is with me and doing something, then I need the discipline of darkness, of walking by faith and depending only on His Word and His promises.

Sometimes the learning curves are so steep and the darkness so gloomy that I feel I will fall off the curves and get lost in the blackness. But no matter how I feel, God is there – faith tells me so.

Holding His hand in the darkness

Ezekiel 36:1–37:28, Revelation 18:1–24, Job 38:1–11

God calls me to live my life distinguished by His light, clearly separate from my old way of being. I am a new creation because He separated the light from the darkness within my heart. Yet sometimes it is a struggle to live according to this high calling, to live in the light and be separate from that darkness.

In ancient times, God gave His people up to their enemies in order to chasten and correct their sinful ways. Even though they suffered His reproach, eventually He said to them, “Behold, I have spoken in my jealous wrath, because you have suffered the reproach of the nations. Therefore  . . . I swear that the nations that are all around you shall themselves suffer reproach. But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people Israel, for they will soon come home. For behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. And I will multiply people on you, the whole house of Israel, all of it. The cities shall be inhabited and the waste places rebuilt. And I will multiply on you man and beast, and they shall multiply and be fruitful. And I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former times, and will do more good to you than ever before. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” (Ezekiel 36:5–11)

Even though His promises were in pity for them, God also said this, “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord . . .  when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses.” (Ezekiel 36:22–30)

This speaks to me also. When I wander off and God disciplines and restores me, He does it for His name’s sake. He gave me new life in Christ so that my life would honor Him. Being holy is not about me. It is about living in His light and giving Him glory.

After the accusations of Job’s friends and their assumptions, and the self-defending of Job who knew he was not being punished, God finally burst through the silence. He spoke to Job saying, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” (Job 38:2)

This also speaks to me. How often have I thought that I have figured out what God is doing, particularly when He has not revealed anything to me? How many times have I “darkened counsel” by not listening to it and replying without knowing what I was talking about. Human ignorance is obvious in others, yet too often I’m ignorant of my own lack of understanding, still in darkness and thinking I am not.

In that final book of the Bible describing God’s wrath against sin, a voice from heaven cries out saying, “Come out of her (Babylon), my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues.” (Revelation 18:4)

The city of Babylon personifies evil from which God calls His people, for this “great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more . . . .” No more music, craftsmanship, industry, light, or love, for in all those seemingly good things were lies. God says the people “were deceived by” the sorcery in this city, and in this place were “found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth.” (Revelation 18:21–24)

What do I know about evil, or about what God is doing? I might think I know, but deception is entirely possible. Job was a righteous man, yet he assumed knowledge when he actually was in the dark. The people of Babylon looked as if they were doing well, but God said they were evil.

As for me, walking by faith does not exclude following the light and leading of God, nor does it exclude glimpses of His plans and His will, but it does exclude thinking that I know everything when God has told me absolutely nothing.

Replace ‘what-if’ with obedience and trust

Just as a person may fail through too much zeal, so may a person fail through too much caution, particularly if that caution comes through fear. What if I fail? What if something goes wrong? What if I turn people off? What if no one will listen? What if my words are ignored?

A friend tells me that after sixty, women are apt to say anything. Why should it take so long to have the courage to speak my mind? Or be brave enough to do what the Lord puts on my heart?

Jesus tells His followers to speak the truth, to tell others about Him and His saving grace and power. Do loved ones remain under the wrath of God because I have not overcome my fears of being wrong or rejected until I’m too old to care if that happens?

Today’s devotional reading rebukes my excuses. It tells me to stop looking at externals, stop listening to my fears, and do whatever the Lord tells me to do without concern for the results. He will take care of that part . . . 

Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth. If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. (Ecclesiastes 11:1–4)

The reading says it is easy to sneer at fanatics and make fun of enthusiasts who are so earnest that they are not wise. Yet far more fatal to any cause are those who always have an eye on the clouds and waste their days shrinking from the wind. One person said it is better to aim at the stars and hit the woodpile than aim at the woodpile and hit your foot. In plain words, it is better to try and fail than to do nothing.

Besides that, Christians who experience spiritual warfare often see how God brings victory when it appears that all is lost. Our enemy works overtime to make our efforts vain. At times I feel like quitting. If not that, I can criticize the challenges before me or magnify their power instead of going on with the business of planting, watering and even reaping the harvest that God offers me.

Peter illustrates how easily it is to watch the wind and look at the clouds. He started bravely when he saw Jesus walking on the water. “Lord, if it’s you, tell me come to you,” and Jesus called to Peter, “Come.” Peter leaped out of the ship and walked on the water to his Lord. Then he regarded the clouds and observed the wind — how boisterous — and he began to sink. He cried out, “Lord, save me” and Jesus took his hand and brought him safely into the boat.

How many time has Christ said “Come” to me and I have given more heed to the uproar around me? Like Peter, I am rebuked by His words, “O you of little faith, why do you doubt?”

Jesus is mighty to save and powerful to keep. No matter what is happening, how will I discover that truth unless I disregard everything except His call? As the wise writer of Ecclesiastes says, the future is in the hands of God and I do not know what He will do with the bread that I cast on the water. I could be thinking it will dissolve into mush, be eaten by the fish, or sail away never to be seen again, while He has plans to multiply it by a hundred times and send it back to me in great blessing.

Oh such little faith. Stop being concerned about the storm and keep my eyes on Jesus.

Light in darkness

Darkness and light are metaphors God uses to bring home the difference between blind spiritual ignorance and His amazing spiritual enlightenment. Yet even when the Holy Spirit opens a Christian’s heart and mind to the light of God, we are not guaranteed perfect vision or entirely sunshiny days.

Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment. (Isaiah 50:10–11)

These verses could be talking about those who have no fear of God and are not obedient to Him, but today’s devotional writer links the first sentence with the rest and writes about Christians who spend most of their lives without that special sense of God’s presence and light. As I recall when this darkness has overwhelmed me, I shudder at the idea of it being a major portion of life.

The last few weeks have felt like a revolving door between darkness and light. For one day or sometimes only one minute, God would enlighten my thinking and grant a strong sense of His nearness. Then my spiritual senses seemed plunged into a pit where God was gone, grace had departed, and I was blind and helpless. Worse than any roller coaster ride, these times of darkness robbed me of sleep, never mind peace of mind. Darkness is horrible.

These verses from Isaiah describe what to do, and what not to do in such situations. I’m supposed to trust in the Lord and rely on Him, even when all seems dark. I’m not supposed to come up with some sort of ‘light’ of my own and let that guide me through this sense of darkness, for doing that will only bring torment.

Sometimes I learn the hard way. I tried my own light. It didn’t work, just as God said. I know torment. However, I did find promises from God that gave me something to cling to, promises like…

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. (Psalm 84:11)

The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:10)

I cannot imagine spending my entire Christian life walking in faith without any sense of light, only clinging to what God has said without some kind of subjective evidence. That is, He promises to supply all my needs but could I endure a perpetual sense of being needy? Would I question even His existence? Or would I be like Job who proved that God’s gift of faith makes it possible to cling to Him even in darkness?

Without light, there is no comfort from the Holy Spirit. I read the Bible and am not joyful in its truths. I go to church but the music is dull and the message is blurry (or sharp and unbearable). Yet during all of this, I see what God is doing, so there is some light. He seems to leave me alone for a time so that I might know how useless and vulnerable to sin and death I am without Him. In the darkness, I realize more deeply that without His divine presence, even His blessings are bland and meaningless.

Of course, Satan makes use of such darkness. If he could, he would bring spiritual and even physical death. If not perishing, he produces bewilderment designed to destroy any power or desire to keep holding the hand of God. Yet even with all his destructive power, he is weaker than God who graciously says…

I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them. (Isaiah 42:16)

For the record, the consistent light of life is again my portion. God “has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon the light” (Job 33:28). Actually, that light is Jesus who said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

For that, I reply, “I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you. For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life” (Psalm 56:12–13). 

Roadblocks and faith

Following Christ means running into some of the roadblocks that He encountered. For instance, at several points early in His ministry, the people wanted to make Him king. While I’ve not been offered a crown, I’ve received accolades that belong only to God. The temptation to accept the praise and let it build pride is a roadblock. 

Another roadblock is discouragement. I have items on my prayer list that have been there for nearly forty years, requests for the eternal good of others. I’ve battled my way through selfish motivations, unbelief, and all sorts of other issues until getting past them to simply pray in Jesus’ name and wait. Still, the prayers have not been answered and that can be a large roadblock. 

Yet in following Christ, I see that He was more than a conqueror against everything that rose up against Him, even what looked like the final block of crucifixion and death. His enemies thought they put an end to Him but He rose from the dead and lives forever. 

Whoever wrote Hebrews knew that the readers were threatened by roadblocks. Following Jesus was not easy and they were thinking of going back to their old ways. Surely following those old rules and laws would be easier than doing the will of God from the heart. However, they were told otherwise…

Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Hebrews 6:9–12)

For those who are saved by faith, God makes promises. Humanly speaking, the promises seem impossible and roadblocks such as unanswered prayer support that impossibility. But faith believes the promises of God and hope anticipates fulfillment. All that is left for me is to patiently and quietly wait for God to do what He said He would do.

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Father, I have need of endurance and patience, so that when I have done the will of God I may receive what is promised. I need increased faith too, for as You say, “Yet a little while, and the Coming One will come and will not delay; but My righteous one shall live by faith…” (Hebrews 10:36–38, personalized)