If people these days are basing their beliefs solely on what they see and hear, then I’d say they’re in a heap ’o trouble because the prince of the power of the air—i.e., the devil—is having a heyday. His sight-and-sound theater is packed nightly with spellbound crowds watching real-life tragicomedies, tear-jerker melodramas, and spine-tingling psychodramas that leave them with either their hair standing on end or numbed with sensory overload.
This might be a good time to resurrect the old saying, “Believe nothing of what you hear, and only half of what you see.”—in the natural sense, that is. If we experience merely a natural existence under the sun as the book of Ecclesiastes calls it, then we’d best hold onto our seats because it’ll be a dangerous and destructive ride.[i]
Eve saw that the tree was good . . . so she and Adam ate of it. [ii] And we all know where that took us.
Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD . . . (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah). So, he chose to live there. Again, a decision based on what his natural eyes saw. Not a wise move because later God had to rescue righteous Lot, greatly worn out and distressed by the wonton ways of the ungodly and lawless—For that just man, living [there] among them (in Sodom and Gomorrah), tortured his righteous soul every day with what he saw and heard of [their] unlawful and wicked deeds— [iii]
Lot’s soul wounds were self-inflicted because no one was forcing him to stick around and keep seeing this stuff. In fact, on the eve of Sodom’s destruction, angels had to lay hold of him and his family and pull them out because he hesitated. We’re a funny sort, aren’t we? [iv]
When the servant of Elisha the prophet rose early one morning and discovered that the city where they stayed was surrounded by a great Syrian army with horses and chariots, he cried out, Alas, my master! What shall we do?
Knowing that his assistant needed a behind-the-scenes view of their predicament, Elisha answered, Fear not; for those with us are more than those with them. He then asked the Lord to open his servant’s eyes so he too might see from the Lord’s perspective. And the Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and he saw, and behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. [v]
Paul, prisoner aboard a ship headed for Rome, saw something in the spirit and warned of disaster and heavy loss ahead if they put to sea. The centurion, the pilot, and the ship’s owner saw things differently. Sure, it was past safe sailing season, but what harm could there when the south wind blew gently? They pulled up anchor and sailed. [vi] I’d venture to say, their sorry hides were spared only because God wanted Paul to arrive in Rome in one piece.
Ah Lord, that people would be like those certain Greeks who approached Your disciple, Philip, in Jerusalem and said, “Sir, we desire to see Jesus!” Or like the blind man who cried out to You, “Lord, I want to see!” [vii]
Give us eyes to see as You did when You dwelt among us, so we too don’t judge by what we see with our natural eyes or decide by what we hear with our natural ears. May Your Holy Spirit rest upon us and guide us in our walk as He did in Yours. [viii] For only through eyes of faith will we see beyond the devil’s insane disturbances and diversions, his soap-opera exhibitions, and heart-wrenching spectacles that distract from what’s really going on.
Seeing isn’t believing. Believing in You is what opens our eyes to truly see.