Do we trust what we see with our eyes or what God says to us?

Hezekiah found himself in the middle of a siege in 2 Kings 19. The mighty Assyrian army was outside the walls and were demanding he surrender. In his distress, he sought the word of the Lord from the prophet Isaiah. The response he received was positive; the Assyrians would leave, and Jerusalem would be saved.

Despite hearing the word of God that told him what was going to happen, think about Hezekiah’s situation. If he went onto the walls of Jerusalem, he could still see the Assyrian army. He could count all his own soldiers and his potential allies and compare them to the threat and realise that, in an earthly sense, he could not win. Yet God had promised Jerusalem would be saved. He did not know how or when, but the deliverance was certain. The challenge for Hezekiah was whether he would trust what God had said to him or what he could see with his own eyes.

We face a somewhat similar challenge today. We live in a world where our societies chase after sin instead of God. The popular culture is set against Jesus and his people and increasingly so. Politicians are passing laws that dishonour God and restrict the ability of Christians to teach and live out our faith. Yet, at the same time, we know that we are part of the kingdom of God right now. King Jesus rules the world right now. The future is secure, and one day all sin and its effects will be gone. Do we trust what we have been told or what we see with our eyes?

While it would be great to see and experience all of God’s promises now, we are called to trust instead of seeing it with our own eyes (for the moment). As the writer to the Hebrews puts it:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Heb. 11:1 ESV)

We have some foretastes of what is coming. We know the reality of being forgiven. We have the Holy Spirit who points us to Jesus and reminds us that God is our Father. We have the church, as imperfect as it is, which shows us the unity of people saved by Jesus into one family. These foretastes give us confidence of the greater things to come.

We also have many promises in God’s word that we can rely on. God’s word always comes true. The things we don’t see yet will also come true in God’s good time.

So, as we wait for God’s complete kingdom to come, for every eye to see God’s plan for the world, we need to trust. That will be difficult on some days. It will require prayer and encouragement. It will be built up by reminders from God’s word and the influence of God’s people.

Remember that what you see right now is not how it will always be. God is in control, even now, even if that is not how it looks to us. Like Hezekiah, we can rely on God’s promises for our future.