I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. —C. S. Lewis
Faith is seeing the invisible, believing it, and living as though it’s true. But how do we see the invisible?
God has to reveal it to us. It’s been this way since the Old Testament.
Consider Abraham’s decision to take Isaac’s life. How could he? And how could God even ask such a thing? Yet it’s said that Abraham lived by faith—he saw something invisible and lived like it was true. What did he see?
Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead … (Hebrews 11:19)
When God saw that Abraham was torn between the promise of a nation and the command to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, God revealed to Abraham His ability to resurrect the dead. This revelation was enough. This is still a really difficult story to stomach, I get that, but in that moment, Abraham demonstrated faith.
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau with staggering details about their future. How could this blind elderly man see so clearly? God revealed it to Isaac in his mind’s eye.
By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child …(Hebrews 11:23a). How did they know? It was revealed to them and they lived as though it were true.
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter … He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt … (Hebrews 11:24, 26)
How could this be true since Christ wasn’t yet born in Moses’ time? God revealed Himself; He revealed a glimpse of the cross, and Moses could see it. Because Moses could see it, he believed it and lived as though it were true, exchanging all of Pharaoh’s wealth for Christ’s disgrace.
The list of heroic faith continues. But it should be noted that for a lot of people who live by faith, it doesn’t work out for them. Armies aren’t conquered, lions’ mouths aren’t shut, and children aren’t brought back from the dead.
What becomes of our faith when things don’t work out well in the here and now?