We Live by Faith

On a recent trip to Harrisonburg, I saw a deer jump an eight-foot fence. That fence was constructed to prevent deer from jumping into the road, but apparently it wasn’t working with all deer. This deer reminded me of an impala. An impala is a member of the antelope family able to jump ten feet high, which aids their survival in the wilds of Africa.

In zoos they are contained within a three-foot wall and never jump out. The reason is because impalas never jump unless they see where they’ll land. The three-foot wall works in the zoo because they can’t see what’s on the other side of the enclosure.

We humans are not that different. We want to know the outcome of a situation before we move forward. The life of faith rarely works that way. Paul reminded the church at Corinth, “We live by faith, not by sight.” (II Corinthians 5:7)

When Paul wrote this text, he was thinking about death. The chapter begins with Paul contrasting our “earthly tent” with a future “building from God, an eternal house in heaven.” (v. 1) In verse 2 Paul says, “We groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling.” This is the great message of the gospel, for when we believe in Christ, death is obliterated by eternal life.

Living by faith means trusting God’s purposes even when those purposes are not clear and many times shrouded in mystery. In life we are faced with many uncertainties, but we can trust God’s unfailing love. No matter what life throws at us, “we can make it our goal to please him.” (II Corinthians 5:9)

Prayer — Father, often my life is filled with uncertainty and fear. Guide me as I trust You so that Your will can be done. Amen.

II Corinthians 5:7 — “We live by faith.”

By the Rev. Tommy Herndon
Images: Max Saeling, Johanneke Kroesbergen Kamps & Alexandre Chambon, courtesy of Unsplash