Teachable Moments: Not by Sight

Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right.  Max Lucado

For we live by faith, not by sight.

2 Corinthians 5:7

"We have not the vision and fruition of God, as of an object that is present with us, and as we hope for hereafter, when we shall see as we are seen. Note, Faith is for this world, and sight is reserved for the other world: and it is our duty, and will be our interest, to walk by faith, till we come to live by sight" (Excerpt from Matthew Henry's Commentary).

Living by faith and not by sight is SO difficult for me to do right now. I am currently in this in-between stage where I don't know what the future holds, and it is frustrating. I know that God has it all under control and that I don't need to worry, but I just want to know. It's so hard to be on the blind side of things, yet this is where God calls us to trust him. In our frustration, anger, and impatience, we need to trust. We need to have faith because we don't know the big picture. There is likely a good reason we don't know yet, what we so desperately seek to know. And we have to rest in the fact that God knows the perfect time to reveal his plan to us, and we have to learn to be faithful and patient in the middle time.

This poem is a great reminder to have faith...

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.

Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,

other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed

that during the low periods of my life,

when I was suffering from

anguish, sorrow or defeat,

I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,

‘You promised me Lord,

that if I followed you,

you would walk with me always.

But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life

there have only been one set of footprints in the sand.

Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me?’

The Lord replied,

‘The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand,

is when I carried you.’

-Mary Stevenson

Lord, 

Help me in my impatience, in my "need to know" frustration. Help me to trust you when I can't see what is ahead, because we are called to live by faith not by sight. IJN, Amen