By Faith, Not By Sight
Author: James H. Ball (Maryland, US)
Like ‘doubting’ Thomas in the John 20:24–29 passage above, my faith often falls short when I cannot see answers to prayer immediately. However, I learned what real faith looks like from a woman who lost her vision. She attended a school for the blind to learn skills to function in life. In one exercise, they took the students white-water rafting. They rode small, inflatable boats down a river through wildly churning water around boulders and over rocks. I imagined how frightening that would be—loud, roaring, the boat rocking and water splashing, without being able to see what was coming next.
I asked her how she could do something that many people with full vision would be afraid to do. ‘I trusted the guide,’ she told me. ‘I listened to what he said, paddled when he told me to, and jumped into the middle of the raft when he said “Jump!” I believed he knew where we were going and that he would get us through.’
She knew where she wanted to go, believed her guide and trusted completely in his instruction. In the same way, Jesus asks us to live not only by what we see but also by what God’s word tells us and what the Holy Spirit whispers in our hearts. We know there are situations ahead that may trouble us, but God will guide us through.
Prayer: O God, give us eyes of faith to trust you. Remind us that you see the future clearly even when we don’t. Amen
