Walking By Faith
I’ve written and rewritten this, not quite sure what to say.
A dear friend has been through a very rough time and her times are about to get rougher. She, at times, appears to be ‘stuck’, waiting to hear a “special” word from God before she does anything.
She is unsure whether or not to marry her boyfriend (an unbeliever). I ask, “what does God say?” and she says that He is telling her to be patient. So I go to the Bible, where it says, “Don’t be unequally yoked.”.
It is a mistake to rely on what you “feel” more so than what you read in Scripture. But how, she asks, can you be SURE that you have the right “word”?
We walk by faith, not by sight.
We do not see eternally, God does. He knows the future and He holds it in His hands. We cannot be sure that what we think we hear is of God. But we do KNOW that the Bible is true and God’s Word is sure.
We walk by faith, not by sight.
Do we have doubts? I know very few people that don’t have doubts.
I have doubts. I doubt. Stepping back, I can face down those doubts and they remind me that nothing in life is a sure thing.
We walk by faith, not by sight.
Will I wake up tomorrow morning? Probably – and I have faith that I will. But it is not a sure thing. I could die for some reason, Christ could return. But my faith is that I will indeed wake up on this earth tomorrow.
But there is a cross on the corner of my street, where a police officer was killed a few weeks ago – that stands to remind me that nothing is a sure thing.
We walk by faith, not by sight.
In the end, it is the fact that I have doubt – the fact that nothing on this earth is a sure thing – that I am reminded that there is a “sure thing” and it is grace, through faith, that brings me that sure thing – a faith that leaves room for doubt, reminding me by its presence that it is faith, not sight that makes it real.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. Hebrews 11:1-3 (ESV)
There is a verse I go to when my faith falters – it came to me in a hospital room a long time ago.
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24 (ESV)
I ask you to pray for my friend. She is dealing with her own past abuse, her son’s emotional issues now and her personal relationship choices. I pray that she walks by faith, not by sight – as we all do.
Our feelings can be our worst enemies sometimes…. Many times it what is written you have to go by, not what you feel. Praying for your friend. Great devotional with excellent reminders.
Great reminder here of how we need to conform our lives to what God’s word says rather than try to fit the Word to our lives. Keep sharing the Truth in love. Thanks for sharing.
I find it is so easy to get myself all tied in knots when I want something so desperately from the Lord and can’t seem to discern His will. The simplicity of just trusting in His word and then walking by faith seems to elude me in those times. I wonder if it’s really because I want my will in a given situation. I pray your friend will have the faith to rest in the Lord.
Great reminders. I will keep your friend in prayer and also pray for your friend’s boyfriend.
Faith and obedience. Two of the hardest things to do/be because they rely on utter surrender and dependence–two of the most countercultural ideas on the planet. Blessings to your friend. God is so faithful to have you standing in the gap for her.