Jesus Walking on the Sea, Gustave DoreThe apostle Paul said that we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7).
What does he mean? Is it wrong to determine and and take control of where we are going?
Does Paul put little value on planning ahead?
Well clearly not, because Paul himself said:
“Provide” here comes from the Greek word which means “consider in advance” or “look out for beforehand” [Strong's Greek Lexicon]. So Paul is clearly for forward vision and sound planning.
Walking by faith is vividly illustrated in the example Christ and the disciples in Matthew 14:22-32. Jesus had just fed a multitude of 5000 men [plus women and children] with five loaves of bread and two fish. After twelve baskets full of leftover were collected, Jesus instructed His disciples to go ahead to the other side of the lake or sea of Galilee, by boat (verse 22). Jesus then went alone to a nearby hill or mountain to pray (verse 23). By this time the boat had drifted far out into the sea, tossed about by great waves, because it was windy (verse 24). Early in the morning – between 3 and 6 a.m. – Jesus went to them, by walking on the sea (verse 25). The sight of someone walking on the sea terrified the disciples, who thought it was a ghost. Jesus reassured them:
Peter responded:
Mat 14:29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
For a while Peter was able to walk on the water.
Mat 14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
As long as Peter was focused on Christ, he was able to walk on the water. But when he saw the strong wind churning up dangerous waves around him, he began to doubt – and sink. This is very much like our life. We are fine while things are going well, but when storm comes our way, we tend to get discouraged. Faced with impossible situation we find ourselves helpless. Like Peter we begin to doubt – and sink.
What is the stormy sea of your life? Is it financial problem? Sickness? Loss of job? Whatever it is, we have all the reason to trust in Him.
Mat 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your [Father's consent].
Mat 10:30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Mat 10:31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
According to Clarke’s Commentary a farthing is a monetary measure used to express a thing of the lowest, or almost no value. A sparrow is worth only half a farthing – but Jesus said, that even such creature of smallest value to man, do not fall to the ground without Father’s permission. We, Christ said is worth much more than sparrows. Even the very hairs on our head are numbered. Isn’t that more than enough assurance from Jesus?
God owns everything and sustains the entire universe – with its billions and trillions of stars – by His own power (Heb.1:3). Is any of our needs too much for Him?
This kind of ultimate security comes by walking by faith – not by sight.
Now, walking by faith is not walking in blind faith. When we walk by faith we walk with assurance of God’s promises. Walking by faith is only possible if we are growing in awareness that God is reliable – that He will perform as He promised. This involves knowing God better – knowing His will and promises. Which means we would be studying His word more and we would be drawing closer to Him. Hebrews 11 records men and women who walked by faith. A good example of these men was Abraham. Abraham was living prosperously and comfortably among his relatives, when God commanded him to leave his hometown. God told Abraham to move and bring his family and belongings to a place he does not know. So Abraham without argument simply went where God led him to (Gen. 12, Heb.11:8). That’s a good example of walking by faith.
God is likewise in the process of leading us to a new place, our ultimate destination – His kingdom. To be in God’s kingdom is the culmination of God’s plan for us. He wants us to seek that kingdom and His righteousness first. He wants our full focus on that coming kingdom. That’s why He promised to provide our needs if we seek His kingdom first. If we are constantly anxious about what we would eat or wear the following day, it only shows we do not know God enough and we’d be missing the kind of confidence and sense of security that results from walking by faith- which we need more that ever in this time of uncertainty.
