Seen and Unseen
AM Psalm 145 • PM Psalm 104
Exod. 13:17-14:4 • 2 Cor. 4:16-5:10 • Mark 12:18-27
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
When I read this passage from Second Corinthians, I am reminded of another declaration attributed to Paul, “now we see through a glass, darkly…” (1 Cor. 13:12)
In the Nicene Creed we proclaim our faith in God who is “Maker… of all that is seen and unseen…” This statement of faith is grounded in something beyond the common maxim, “Seeing is believing.” It is rooted in the divine mystery that is yet to be revealed and that may never be fully understood.
I am grateful that my “knowing” is not limited to that which is visible, and that faith allows me to be far more expansive in my understanding of a Higher Power than anything I might perceive solely through my empirical senses. (How small that God would be!)
But it is also this “unknowing” that challenges our faith at times—as when we question “Where is God in this…natural disaster…untimely death?” Would the answer be any clearer if we could see for ourselves what God sees?
Having faith in a God that I cannot physically see also means letting go of the certainty that I may feel when I can “see for myself”—even when I know that my eyes have often deceived me. I think about a first impression someone has made or how a situation I’ve witnessed has been misconstrued. Perhaps this is the “through a glass, darkly” part—when our vision is veiled by preconceived notions or misinterpretations.
Walking by faith, not by sight implies trusting in God beyond our human capacity for comprehension. “…because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:18)
Written by Shannon Dillard Mitchell
...who still questions the unknown but seeks to see more clearly and follow more dearly, day by day.