Living by Faith, not Sight

READY

“But the officer said, 'Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.'” -- Matthew 8:8

SET

In the summer of 2013, I served as a volunteer chaplain at the World Para Athletics Championships in Lyon, France in Europe.

My role was to support all ability athletes and coaches in the Great Britain squad. Up until that time, I had seen a lot of para-track sports disciplines such as wheelchair racing and sprinting by athletes with amputations or with neurological differences such as cerebral palsy, but I had not seen first-hand any adaptive sports field events. One day during the tournament, I was accompanying a British double-amputee sprinter, and while he was warming up and going through his drills, I had an opportunity to observe some other athletes training for their respective events, including a long-jumper who was blind.

This was the first time I had ever encountered this field event in which someone who couldn’t see anything was taking part. As this blind athlete stood at the end of the long asphalt running lane, I observed that his sighted coach stood at the other end of the lane. At a certain moment, the coach called to the athlete who then orientated himself so that his now outstretched arms were pointing in the direction of where his coach’s voice was coming from. Then, the coach shouted "GO," and began to clap loudly and steadily. This was the signal for the blind athlete to start sprinting down the track to the sandpit.

I was amazed when immediately upon hearing his coach’s voice this visually-impaired athlete took off at full speed, sprinting with all his energy, even though he couldn’t see where he was going. As he got progressively nearer the sandpit the rate of the coach’s clapping got quicker and quicker to somehow indicate to the athlete the distance between him and the pit. At the very last moment as the sprinting athlete was just a couple of meters away from the take-off board the coach stepped just to the side, and at the moment his athlete reached the board the shouted "JUMP," and the athlete took off, soaring high. I was blown away by what I had just witnessed.

I tried to imagine what it would be like to be in that blind athlete’s shoes. Would I be willing to trust a coach to such a level, with absolute and total dependence upon his voice and his directing of me? How willing would I be to let go of my fears and apprehensions and to have faith in my coach’s ability to guide me with perfect direction and timing?

Christian Faith is believing and trusting in what God, our Heavenly Coach, says to us in the Bible, which is His Word to us.

In the dark and challenging times in our lives, faith is firstly clinging to God's promises; it is less about understanding everything, less about bringing the light of understanding into our every earthly dark experience. Rather than seeking to live always by sight, as followers of Jesus, we are called to firstly live by faith, which means putting our whole trust in God when we cannot understand what’s happened and when we cannot see the way ahead.

Be encouraged to live by faith in the Word of the Son of God and not by sight.

GO

• In tough times, when something inexplicable and unforeseen comes into your life, what is your default reaction?
• At such times, who or what do you go to? Can you honestly identify some of your unhelpful coping strategies?

WORKOUT

Deuteronomy 31:8; Romans 8:16; John 16:13a

OVERTIME

“Loving God, I thank You for the Bible. It's Your Word and Your Word is the truth. Help me to be quick to listen for Your Word and to believe and trust it with all my heart and mind, thereby obeying Your call to live by faith. Help me to plant my feet firmly upon the promises in Your Word, remembering that all other ground is sinking sand. Amen.”