For we walk by faith, not by sight- 2 Cor. 5:7
“Don’t worry it will be OK.” We’ve all heard those words before, and they generally were not what we wanted to hear. You might have been going through a trial, a temptation, a difficulty and someone told you it will all work out. They told you to have faith.
“It will be OK? What are you talking about??” you scream in your head, this person doesn’t get it! I have a real problem here and this person is telling me to simply “Trust!?”
Sometimes, answers like these can come off as being shallow; and when Bible verses and theology are causally applied to problems, like band-aids, they don’t stick. Trials can’t be solved like taking Tylenol for a headache, you can’t just take two John 3:16’s and wake up in the morning feeling great. Problems just don’t go away so easily, especially when you are not starting from the right place – faith.
Close my eyes?
At some point you took a leap of faith and trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior. For many, the idea of faith ends there, then we’re on our own; we need to figure out how to navigate life, how to solve problems in our marriage, how to spend our money, etc. – WRONG! Scripture makes it clear here, your entire life needs to be characterized by one thing – faith.
But what does it mean to walk by faith? It means not to trust in ourselves (walking by sight); but to trust in HIM (walk by faith) and in his sovereign plan for our lives.
Trusting Him
Paul exhorts us in 2 Cor 5 to trust in God’s plan and not our own. As humans we have a natural bent to trust in ourselves. It all started in the garden when God told Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree. He told them that he had a plan for their life, and that plan was good. The first humans had a different idea. They didn’t trust God, they trusted themselves – and we’ve been that way ever since.
Take the Step
So this week, as you face the trials of life, trust in God and in His plan. Don’t seek to handle life’s problems in the way that seems right to you; that way leads to death (Prov. 14:12). Rather handle them the way God wants you to, by trusting in God’s plan. God makes an amazing promise in 1 Cor. 10:13. He promises that no temptation that you have will ever overtake you, and that He will always be faithful to provide a way out. Knowing the promise of God will help you to handle life well. So:
- If a coworker treats you poorly, walk by faith and love them back – Trust in God’s plan.
- If you are tempted to skip your quite time with God this week, walk by faith and spend time with God – Trust in God’s plan.
- When temptation entices you this week to sin, walk by faith, and not by sight, and trust that God’s way is better than sin – Trust in God’s plan.
Whatever trial or temptation comes your way; trust in God’s plan and you will see all of the rewards that walking by faith brings.
