“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)
Our fears are sparked by what we keep seeing all around us, yet faith is the assurance of things not seen. God is a rewarder of all those who diligently put their trust in Him, and so we all want that assurance to believe and trust in what we can’t see, but somehow our eyes keep getting in the way.
As we are looking at the storm, our eyes are fixed on what is seen, and a fear of losing something sets in. We fear losing control, losing respect, losing our health, losing our youthfulness, losing financial security, losing a relationship or losing our sense of security in a difficult situation.
If fear is based on what is seen, faith means trusting in what is completely unseen.
I tend to find the faith to tell God that I’m leaving a problem totally in His hands, but then I go back and monitor, to see how God is doing with it. If I truly let go and trusted Him to handle it, I would really have nothing to fear.
It’s difficult to trust in what is unseen. It’s like letting yourself fall backward, and trust that someone is ready to catch you. We would need that quick last glance, to make sure that someone is really ready to catch us. If we have to keep checking to see if they are ready for the catch, then it’s not faith.
Jesus is always ready to catch us, and if He is the one catching us, we have nothing to lose. He said, “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” If we want to be among those who are blessed, we have to fix our eyes on the unseen, eternal truths. If we know in whom we have believed, then we also are persuaded that He is able to keep all which we have committed to Him.
This means we are persuaded that He will not only catch us when we let go, but He will keep us for all eternity.
Let’s put all the things that frighten us, in God’s hands. We don’t need to monitor His progress in solving our problem. We will rest in His peace while fixing our eyes on Him, and not on the storm.
All storms are temporary but His promises are forever. He gave us so many eternal promises to trust in:
He gives us rest instead of anxiety (Matthew 11:28)
He fights the battles for us
(Exodus 14:14)
He sets us free from any bondage
(John 8:36)
He supplies all our needs (Philippians 4:19)
With Jesus on the throne of our lives, we overcome it all, by the blood of the Lamb. (Revelation 12:11)
Lord, help us to let go and fall backward into your arms, fixing our eyes of faith on your unseen eternal promises, not on the temporary storm we see.
Amen