In 2 Corinthians 5:7, Paul says that Christians "walk by faith, not by sight." This should be the normal rhythm of the Christian life. What God says, not what I see, governs how I live. God's Word determines how I walk through the circumstances of life. The circumstances of life do not determine how or whether I walk with God.
Yet, so often, the circumstances of life are like muggers. They ambush us on the sidewalk, beat us up, and take our wallet. As a result, the way we walk through life can change. We look over our shoulder in fear of what might happen next. We believe a "good day" is merely one without pain or trouble. In other words, we start walking by sight, not by faith.
One picture of this reversal is in Exodus 4-6. In chapter 4, Moses pronounces God's promise of deliverance to the Israelites, with accompanying miraculous signs to validate his message. In response, "...the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped" (4:31). They're prepared to walk by faith, not by sight. So far, so good.
In chapter 5, though, circumstances begin to take a turn for the worse. Pharaoh is outraged at the call to "Let my people go" (v. 1). As a result, he makes life worse for the Israelites. They were already slaves, but now, they must keep meeting their daily work quota without Pharaoh providing the resources needed to do so.
The Israelites' painful circumstances have pounced on them, and they're left staggering. They question Moses (5:21). In turn, Moses questions God (5:22-23). The faith displayed at the end of chapter 4 is nowhere to be found. Why? They're responding to what they see, but not with faith.
The story goes on. In chapter 6, God's Word comes through Moses again. God reiterates the truth about who He is and what He will do for His people. He is the covenant God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob...the LORD (v. 3-4). He has heard their groaning for mercy, and He will keep His promises (v. 5). He will deliver them from their bondage, redeem them by His power, be their God, and give them the land He promised (v. 6-8).
Now, remember, in chapter 4, God's Word was received in faith, and the people bowed their heads in worship. Will they respond in faith again? Will worship break out once more? Will they gain new strength to trust the Lord as they wait for Him to work? Sadly, the answer to all three questions is no.
"Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery" (Ex. 6:9). They can't get their eyes off their circumstances long enough to see the hope of God's promise. In chapter 4, they had sung, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow..." Now, they sing again. It's the same melody, but in a minor key and with different lyrics: "Where's God when all my burdens grow?..."
Why have they changed their tune? Because they are walking by sight. They see Pharaoh's anger. They see harsher masters and harder labor. And quite frankly, they see no end in sight. And what they can see is determining whether they will listen to the Lord, trust the Lord, or hope in the Lord. They are walking by sight.
Oh how easy it is for us to walk by sight! How common it is to measure the reality and benevolence of God by the circumstances of our lives! How often my soul has been mugged by opposition, mauled by suffering, and molested by trials!
And it is here that we need the Lord's grace to clear away the scales that blind us to His promises. We need the Lord Jesus Himself to clean out our spiritual ears, so we hear and believe the truth. And what we need to hear, with ears of faith, are the same truths God spoke in Exodus 6.
We need to hear that God has made a covenant with us in the blood of His Son, Jesus. It is an eternal covenant, securing our forgiveness and making us right with Him. And it cannot be broken. We need to hear that we have access to God's throne of grace through Jesus, our High Priest. There, we can groan for mercy and grace in our time of need and expect to be heard.
We need to hear, over and over again, that Jesus Christ has broken the bondage of sin's slavery and has redeemed us to be His people. We need to hear that, because we've been redeemed and reconciled to God, God Himself is our God, and we are His people. We need to hear that the promised eternal home on the new earth awaits, and the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our safe arrival.
With that faith in place, how are we to live in this world of sorrows? The apostle Paul tells us. "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:17-18).
In short, walk by faith, not by sight.
