Living by Faith and Not by Sight

“We live by faith and not by sight” (II Corinthians 5:7).

This verse has become more real to me recently. Having fibromyalgia, I go through periods of dealing with pain in a specific location. When one pain disappears, another one replaces it. Right now my eyes are causing visual problems which affect my daily life.

With good vision I am able to be independent of others and, for the most part, can do what I want to do when I want to do it. I can see where I’m going as well as where I don’t want to go. I feel I am in control of my life and can plan accordingly. My current vision problem has changed some of those situations and I have become frustrated and fearful.

I can relate this physical situation to my spiritual life. When I live by sight only, I want God’s help and guidance for my life, but I am relying on what I see as well. I am more in control and may question God if I don’t care for the direction He is taking me. I prefer tangible signs to guide me, and I may even ignore His leading and go my own way at times.

Living by faith however means that I allow God to lead me, sometimes not knowing where I am going. The unknown can be a fearful place when I can’t see what lies ahead. Yet that is what God asks me to do – trusting Him completely, walking confidently with Him even when I don’t know where the next step will take me, and giving Him total control of my life.

I am praying that my physical vision will be completely restored soon. It would make my life easier and more enjoyable. As for my spiritual vision, I need only see far enough to find Christ – just one step ahead.

Prayer: All the way my Savior leads me – what have I to ask beside? Can I doubt His tender mercy, who through life has been my guide? Heavenly peace, divinest comfort, here by faith in Him to dwell! For I know, what-e’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well (Hymn). Amen.

Singing a New Song

“He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God”
(Psalm 40:3).

I have always enjoyed music and have been blessed to participate on worship teams at church for a good many years.  We began attending a new church several years ago, and we do not sing most of the songs that I sang in the past.  I miss those old songs greatly, yet I am learning to love the new ones.  Acceptance, however, has taken time.

I can compare my life to these songs.  I loved the “songs” of my past – my work, my children at home, and my physical abilities and activities.  Not every song was a joyous song of praise, but many of my tunes were positive rather than negative.  Now I have to move on to new songs not only in church but in my personal life as well.  Circumstances and health are different. 

There was a time when even my old songs were new to me.  They took time to learn and grow to love.  The same is true for my new songs.  It takes time, patience, faith and trust in God, and even some creativity to learn these new words and melodies.  Adapting to change is challenging, but just as I am learning to love and enjoy singing new musical songs, God is helping me adapt and adjust to new phases of life.  God’s great love and compassion bring at least a few beautiful notes to even the hardest of days.

One day I will sing the old, the current, and the yet unknown songs of praise, together with countless other believers, in my eternal home.  God only writes beautiful music. For now, may I see each new day and new stage of my life as an opportunity to sing new melodies.  It’s time to start learning the new songs He’s written just for me.

Prayer:  O God, give me the strength and the willingness to sing each new song You give to me, returning these songs to You as my gift of praise.  Amen.

Weaving a Basket of Faith

“Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” (I John 5:4).

One Sunday our pastor spoke on the Old Testament story of Moses and the basket that his mother Jochabed made for him. In faith she wove this basket to hide him among the reeds, hoping that the life of her son would be saved from Pharaoh’s death edict. Her basket ultimately saved not only her son but the entire Israelite nation as well when Moses delivered them out of Egypt.

I began thinking about my life of illness and pain and how it has affected my faith. When I first began dealing with these issues, my faith was quite weak. I doubted God’s wisdom in allowing many difficulties and disappointments. The faith basket I began weaving was very small – barely large enough to grasp during my times of turmoil – but it kept me from totally sinking. As I have continued on this journey with God over the years, my weaving skills have increased. I still have holes of weakness, but the weaving is tighter and my hands are tougher now than when I began. Through the years of suffering this basket has grown. It is still not large enough to keep me from falling out every now and then, but it keeps me afloat through the rapids and waves that pain and suffering bring.

Just as God used Jochabed’s basket of protection for deliverance from death, He is using my basket of faith for deliverance from my fears, discouragement, and hopelessness. Every aspect of my life is an opportunity to enlarge and strengthen this basket, provided I am willing to keep weaving. Many times I become tired and want my basket to be finished. One day it will be done. This basket of faith will carry me right to the shores of eternity, and I will go from faith to sight – into the arms of God. Until then, He and I will keep weaving.

Prayer: Gracious God, give me the strength as well as the desire to continue weaving and walking this life of faith, trusting You each and every moment until I see your face. Amen.

Waves of Doubt

“When he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:6).

Our family has always enjoyed the beach. In years past I loved riding a good wave in to the shore. On our last trip however, things were different. I tried swimming out in the ocean but was sucked under by a wave. I tried standing in the water but the strength needed to maintain my balance was too difficult for me. I spent the remainder of the trip looking at the ocean rather than being in it.

Many of us may know the sensation of being pulled under and tossed by a breaking wave. It can be frightening as well as dangerous. When I doubt or question God and His faithfulness, I may experience similar feelings. There are countless times when I am worried, anxious, fearful, or discouraged about my health or circumstances. I pray for peace or guidance but then continually dwell on my concerns, not leaving the results in God’s hands. This causes unnecessary turmoil within me, and I feel blown and tossed by the waves of my emotions and doubts. God will bring about what He has planned and give me the grace and mercy to handle whatever may come. I need to leave my requests with Him rather than continually taking them back.

On those beach trips years ago, I not only enjoyed riding a few crests in to shore but also swimming out beyond them to float on the gentle waves. That is where I need to be now - lifted up on the peaceful swells of faith and trust, rather than dragged to shore by the crashing breakers of my doubts.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, give me the faith to totally trust You for what is happening in my life and body, for You do not speak and then not act.  You do not promise and then not fulfill (Numbers 23:19). Amen.

Taste and See the Sweetness of God

"Taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8).

I have always been a tea drinker, but my cup usually consisted of a little tea with a large amount of sugar and cream . Because of developing sugar intolerances I stopped drinking tea for awhile since it tasted too bitter. Recently however I have discovered many different teas with unique flavors which I am learning to enjoy without the extras.

As I was reading this verse I realized some interesting truths. In my healthy years as a Christian I certainly loved God, but I was quite caught up in the “sugar and cream” of life – all the many things I could do and enjoy on my own without giving much thought or thanks to God. When those things were removed, life seemed very bitter. Just as I am learning to enjoy my teas and appreciate them alone, savoring their taste and aroma along with the peace and comfort they bring to my day, so I am also learning to savor God alone, without all the extras in life that I once had.

There are mornings when I do add a little sugar and cream to my tea, which I can tolerate in small doses. Those cups are so enjoyable! In the same way God gives me times when I enjoy a special outing, trip, or activity. I appreciate these sweet times even as I accept the fact that they are not daily occurrences.

Some teas and some days still seem bitter and I miss my “extras”. I may never lose my taste for sugar and cream completely, but as I continue to develop my new tastes and new attitudes, I am experiencing the sweetness of knowing that God is indeed good and He is enough.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to see all the sweetness and completeness that Your presence brings into my life, and to believe the truth that those who seek You truly lack no good thing. Amen.

Divine Power

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness, through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness”
 (II Peter 1:3).

Many times I put limitations on this verse, depending on the kind of day I am experiencing.
There are the great days – days when I feel well physically and emotionally and am able to enjoy life. These days are sometimes few and far between, and when they come, are very precious. There are the trying days - days when I feel well but circumstances are difficult, from the insignificant to the overwhelming. Then there are the hard days – days of pain and discouragement, when all I can do is to endure and breathe a sigh relief when it ends.

All of these days have a common thread – God’s power to get me through them well. I love the all-encompassing word “everything” in this verse. There is no day, no circumstance, no pain that His power is incapable of handling. In John 16:33, Christ said we would have trouble in this world, but He has overcome it. We forget that we have “his incomparably great power. . . which he [God] exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead” (Ephesians 1:19,20). That resurrection power is within believers every moment of every day through the Holy Spirit.

On a great day, we can praise God and sail along, enjoying the blessedness of it. On a difficult day, we can cling in faith to the fact that He will get us through, giving us a memory to draw upon the next time we are sinking. No day is too difficult for God. “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27). Praise God, there is not.

Prayer: Mighty God, thank you that all of my days are ordained by You and that nothing in my life is beyond Your control. Help me to live victoriously, relying on Your great power within me. Amen.

Deliverance or Survival

“The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine" (Psalm 33:18, 19).

This verse speaks to me of two possible scenarios - times when God totally delivers us from difficult situations and times when He brings us through them. I prefer deliverance, but that is not always best for my spiritual growth.

I recently visited one of my daughters. The five hour drive was challenging, but God enabled me to do it. Of course I was hoping to feel well during my visit since we had an agenda of activities. I developed a headache on my drive there. By the evening it was a severe migraine which stayed with me for my entire trip, despite medication. God gave me brief times of reprieve, but He never removed it. The headache left the day I came home.

In previous years, my plea during such an excruciating time would have been for deliverance only. I would have viewed this trip as a total loss, even though I was able to do all the activities I had planned and enjoyed them as much as possible. God did not deliver me, but He kept me alive through my “famine”. Surviving a famine may not be pleasant. This Scripture does not promise abundant food that is easily accessible, but it does promise provision.

I am learning to pray for endurance as well as deliverance. I must believe in faith that whatever method God chooses for each circumstance is best. This experience was another step on my journey of pain with the Lord and it was a victory, although not an easy one. The ultimate deliverance is coming. For now the ability to persevere and survive can be just as much of a miracle as deliverance. This was one of those times, and I will not forget it.

Prayer: O Joy that seeekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to Thee; I trace the rainbow through the rain, and feel the promise is not vain that morn shall tearless be (Hymn "O Love That Will Not Let Go"). Amen.