Not too long ago, I purchased a new pair of glasses.  As many of you know, it’s not as easy as purchasing a new shirt.  First there’s the doctor’s examination, then the new prescription.   There are frames to try on, are they the right shape, do they fit, do I like the color?  And then of course ordering them made up with the new prescription.  All the while hoping that on that final day when they arrive, they will actually fit and my vision will be improved as promised.

We do all this because our vision is important to us.  We want our sight to be as good as it can be.  If it is possible we want to see clearly enough to drive, to read, and to enjoy the world around us.

Do we also need sight to walk our spiritual journey?  We need sight to read and study God’s word. We need sight to see the needs of those around us, those who we can help and serve.  But in 2 Corinthians, Paul tells us that our spiritual walk is guided by something more than sight alone.

For we walk by faith, not by sight.” – 2 Corinthians 5:7

There’s a wonderful hymn that expresses this thought beautifully.  The English theologian and hymn writer, Henry Alford (1810-1871) composed a hymn based on this text.  More recently Marty Haugen composed a newer interpretation, exploring the Christian’s experience of faith over physical evidence.  I quote one stanza of the hymn:

We walk and not by sight
No gracious words we hear
Of Him who spoke as none e’er spoke
Yet we believe Him near

God in his unconditional love gives us the strength to believe, the courage to have faith even in that which we cannot see.

I hope you enjoy the following rendition of the hymn set to the tune “Dunlap’s Creek” and sung at the First Presbyterian Church in Clarksville, TN.

Judy