“For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
The prophet Jeremiah acknowledged a universal truth – man, on his own, is lost. “I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). No matter how much man might think he is capable of directing himself through life, he will be lost if he does not follow God’s standard.
Without God, all of our pursuits are exercises in futility. This was the point repeatedly made by the wise man in the book of Ecclesiastes. He started his discourse with these words: “‘Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher, ‘vanity of vanities! All is vanity’” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). A little later he wrote, “So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:17). By the end of the book, he stated his realization that man’s great purpose in life is to “fear God and keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
Without the word of God, we can only wander through life aimlessly. The Lord described this condition through the prophet Amos: “‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord God, ‘When I will send a famine on the land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and from the north even to the east; they will go to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, but they will not find it’” (Amos 8:11-12). Man knows he needs direction and purpose. When people look for that outside of the word of God, they will stagger about seeking what they should be following (God’s word), even though they often do not know that it is what they need.
However, through faith we have direction. Paul wrote, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Our purpose extends beyond this life – it is not yet seen. But we conduct our lives in faith – confident in God’s promises and trusting in His word to provide us with the right direction.
The worldly man lives his life without any lasting purpose. Again, consider what the wise man wrote about the futility of life when we forget or ignore God: “All things are wearisome; man is not able to tell it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear filled with hearing. That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one might say, ‘See this, it is new’? Already it has existed for ages which were before us. There is no remembrance of earlier things; and also of the later things which will occur, there will be for them no remembrance among those who will come later still” (Ecclesiastes 1:8-11). As much as man does not want the situation described by the wise man to be true, eventually everyone understands the truth in these words. When our purpose is focused on this life, it is meaningless in the end.
In contrast, those who have faith in God have a lasting purpose: “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13, ESV). This is why Paul, quoting from the prophet Habakkuk, wrote, “But the righteous man shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17). Our existence is focused on our living out our faith and looking forward to the hope promised to us in God’s word.
Faith provides us with a perfect standard for our lives. Despite its demands, we have the blessing of knowing the direction we are to take as we follow the word of God.
