“They almost wiped me from the earth, but I have not forsaken your precepts.” — Psalm 119:87 (NIV)

One of my favorite memory verses is 2 Corinthians 5:7, “We walk by faith and not by sight.” This is such an essential quality of the Christian faith. There are very few moments in this life when we feel like everything is right with the world. The truth is, most often we are living under some kind of oppression. When Jesus was born the children of Israel were oppressed by the Roman empire and the religious elite. Between these two groups it must have been tough for the Israelites not to feel like their hope and freedom were being wiped out. Today, we face the oppression of work environments, government, and abusive and broken relationships. It is tough to feel like there is hope and freedom out there.

It is to this reality that the psalmist and Paul speak to our eyes of faith. They are telling us that no matter what our physical senses tell us, we need to trust God and His Word. We need to walk by faith and believe that God understands the oppressive environment we live in and will be true to His Word and deliver us. The psalmist says, “I have not forsaken your precepts.” Although it all appeared bleak to him, he walked by faith and God was faithful.

More than 2,000 years ago God was faithful to His promises and sent His Son into this oppressive world to redeem and to save us, and to provide us hope and freedom. For two millennia God’s people have had to walk by faith and not by sight in order to gain the hope and freedom offered in Jesus. I encourage you today to stop for a moment and close your eyes of sight. Close them tight. Let the world be outside your heart and mind. Then, turn on your eyes of faith and see how faithful God has been and hold on to the hope and freedom He has for you.

Peace!

Pastor Tom

www.firmlyrooted.church