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Walk by Faith and Not by Sight

(Overcomer Wu)

"For we walk by faith, not by sight” --2 Corinthians 5:7

Walking by faith without the benefits of sight is difficult indeed to say the least and outright frightful at times. Imagine walking through a lake of thin ice with frigid water under the thin layer of ice, ready to freeze you to dead with hypothermia within minutes of falling into it, just at the Lord's bidding. That is a good picture of walking by faith at times. Have you ever wished that the Lord would allow the reverse to be true – that we could walk by sight instead of by faith? Do you ever get to the point where it seems like it might be easier if you could see and possess the Lord’s provision without having to trust Him in advance for it? For example, one of the things we must trust the Lord for and we're even taught by the Lord Jesus in Matthew chapter six to pray for daily is His provision for our daily bread. Sometimes our faith is stretched thin as we don't see how the Lord will meet our many needs. In most affluent countries and families, they cannot relate to this kind of living since they have a good stable high-paying job and they even have a big bank account with retirement accounts to fall back on. Thus, their living situation does not necessitate a close dependency on the Lord in walking by faith. Some may consider that as a blessing to live without such worry; yet to live in such situation as to necessitate our praying for “give us this day our daily bread” is truly blessed from the Lord's standpoint. Hence, the in the “Beatitudes” of the gospel of Matthew chapter five, it starts with “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens” (Matt 5:3). Yes, it does say poor in spirit as to emphasize our need in the spirit. Yet the same principle applies when we are poor as well in other areas, because when we are destitute, that is when we deeply realize our need for the Lord and we will grow much more intimate in our dependency upon Him. Surely we know the incomparable and surpassing value of having an intimate walk and fellowship with the Lord than having material riches.

Suppose for a moment that if the Lord were to allow us to have the ease of walking by sight instead of walking by faith, then our walk would be severely limited to just going as far as we can see. If Christopher Columbus and other explorers were to not have faith that there is land on the yonder side of the vast ocean of the Atlantic, which is way beyond their sight, they would never have discovered America or other countries that are beyond their horizon of sight! Likewise, if we walk by faith, we will be able to go far beyond what our limited sights are able to behold when we choose to see through the lens of faith. In reality, seeing by faith is seeing through the sight of God! In other words, are we limiting ourselves in the realm of man’s limited resources and possibilities or are we willing to walk by faith and walk in the realm of the Lord’s resources and unlimited possibilities. The day we truly realize this is the day when we no longer care or envy in anyway those who can walk by sight, because when we walk by faith, we enter into a realm of the divine, immense resources that the Lord has in store for us!

Perhaps you’re in a situation where your faith is really being stretched. Maybe you’re looking to the Lord in faith for the salvation of a family member or friend, for the return of a wayward child or sibling, for healing, for financial provision, for direction, for employment, etc. . And the only encouragement the Lord gives us is to press on in faith in Him. As we lean entirely on Him in faith, we are looking to Him alone to supply us more of Himself, His power, and His resources. I believe the Lord "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think…” (Eph 3:20).

“Faith is the substantiating of things hope for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). Consider some of the many things mentioned in the Bible that God did for His people in response to their faith in Him. Noah was enabled to save his family from the destruction of the great deluge that destroyed most living things on the earth that was not in the ark. Abraham, though well past age, was enabled to have a son and descendants as numerous as the stars of the heavens. The children of Israel saw the Red sea parted and the walls of Jericho fell. The people of Judah saw the Lord deliver them from what seemed an invincible army. The little boy David conquered the giant Goliath. Daniel survived the lions’ den, and his three friends were untouched by the blazing furnace. The blind received their sight, the deaf received their hearing, the sick people were healed, and even the dead were brought to life again!

There is no limit to what the Lord can do when we live and walk by faith; however, where faith is lacking or when we are dependent upon our own resources, He will also withhold His might acts. For instance, we are told that Jesus did not do many miracles in His own hometown because of the people’s lack of faith (Matt 13:58). Faith, therefore, is vital and opens the door for the Lord to intervene in our situation. With God "nothing is impossible” (Luke 1:37); in other words, "everything is possible for him who believes” (Mark 9:23). You and I can imagine some wonderful things when we walk by sight, but when we walk by faith we enter the realm far beyond our imagination – we enter into the Lord’s possibilities – that is unlimited possibilities!

It is crucial in the matter of faith is to find out what the will of the Lord is. For we know that for our prayers to be effective we need to pray according to His will (1 Jn 5:14). For example, a key to Abraham’s faith was that he was "fully persuaded that God had the power to do what He had promised” (Rom 4:21). Abraham knew the will of God and the promises of God, and he had faith in God to carry it out as he prayed. The heart of faith is, after all, a relationship with God. It is knowing Him, trusting Him, loving Him and obeying Him. When we approach God with this kind of heart, we can be confident that He hears us and will respond to our prayers with His mighty love and power. As I mentioned in many other articles previously, we can best know and find out the will of God through His written Word, the Bible. Thus, it behooves us to be thoroughly acquainted with His Word. God speaks to us today through the Holy Spirit using His Word on the written pages of the Bible or His Word indwelling us. May we all learn to walk by faith and live according to the Lord's will. These two matters are in fact inseparable.