Devotional

“For we live by faith, not by sight.” —2 Corinthians 5:7

Where are you today? Physically, you are on earth in the body and away from the Lord. That’s how the apostle described believers as we live in these earthly tents, awaiting with great hope and anticipation our eternal dwelling. How do you live in this state of waiting?

Confidently. For we live by faith, not sight.

The writer of Hebrews gave us a great definition of faith: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).

Truly, taking a look around, what we see by sight will not inspire confidence. We pray everything will be “on earth as it is in heaven,” but we’re certainly not seeing this.

Things seems to be getting worse—the world darker and more depraved—with each news cycle.

When life’s adversities and adversaries loom large, the key is to live by faith.

There is a familiar story in the Old Testament, of Joshua at Jericho. The walls and gates of Jericho appeared impenetrable to all who laid eyes on them. “Appeared” is a key word. By sight. No hope.

The text says, “When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up” (Joshua 5:13). Living by faith means looking up.

When we allow our eyes to settle on the obstacles before us, they loom even larger. But when we look up, fixing our eyes above—where the Author and Finisher of our faith is enthroned—we see beyond the temporal, into the eternal.

Hope and promise are visible to the eyes of faith. Are you looking up?

My prayer for this week:

Loving Father, you know what’s before me today and in the coming days. None of it will surprise you. Please help me walk by faith, to live by faith, to pray in faith—confident in what I hope for and assured about what I cannot see—today and always.