Things Unseen

At our last support group meeting at church we spent quite a bit of time talking about the importance of keeping our eyes on the things unseen, which is so contrary to the desires of our flesh. Yet the Scriptures teach: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)”

Think about the context and content of those words. In the throes of cancer treatments we have an all too deep familiarity with the fact that the “outward man is perishing.” Lost hair, lost grip, lost organs; whatever the case may be, we’re trying to slow death through a powerful weapon. The benefits outweigh the risk with the hope someday a doctor will say “it’s all gone.” Even if cancer wasn’t a factor in our lives, the truth is since the fall of Adam the world has been a broken place. Life expectancy was once in the hundreds of years and now we average no more than 80 years. Though the universe was perfectly designed by our Creator Jesus, sin came in to spoil the plan. Despite what man did to pollute perfection, Jesus continues to hold all things seen together in harmony, until He comes again when He will to “bring all things to Himself.” (Philippians 3:21)

Satan the enemy of our souls seeks to distract us from following the Lord by getting stuck looking at the physical world and activities that don’t come easy anymore. I propose we look at our calamity as a blessing and fulfillment of this passage from 2 Corinthians. Seriously – what is happening to us is producing so much more than we’re losing. That “eternal weight of glory” is immeasurable, indescribable, and unfathomable. To get a glimpse of it, allow God to use the cancer diagnosis to reach other people around you and see what happens. As you keep your mind on the Word of God, the eternal dwelling place of the Christian, in the presence of the Living God, there will be little energy left for self-absorption.

Elisha the prophet had a servant who was intimidated the sight of the enemy army. Elisha reassured him, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." (2 Kings 6:16) Then Elisha prayed to the God of Heaven to open the eyes of the servant so he could see that there were horses and “chariots of fire” all around (Elisha). The book of Hebrews (Ch 12) says that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, referring to all the saints who went before us and are now with the Lord. Countless saints of no reputation, people whose lives were sealed for the day of redemption by the blood of the lamb. (Ephesians 4:30) Many endured unspeakable acts for the cause of Christ and they are there with Him cheering us on as we deny ourselves for the sake of our Lord.

Fellow believer: let us keep our attention on the only thing, he only one deserving of all glory, honor and praise as we look forward to the Day when we will see Him as He is – face to face! (1 John 3:2)

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