Bridge Between The Eternal And Temporal

[Albert Finch]

2 Corinthians 4:18 -- "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."

We have two sets of ears and two sets of eyes. We have the natural set that we are born with, and we have a spiritual set, that is activated when we are born again.

As we grow spiritually, we begin to see with our spiritual eyes and hear with our spiritual ears.

John 5:19 - "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

John 5:30 - "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me."

Jesus is our example. He stated plainly that He was able to see what the Father was doing, and hear what the Father was saying. Like us, He had to allow the Holy Spirit to let Him see and hear. The success of Jesus' ministry was based on time He spent with the Father and hearing Him accurately.

God never promised to lead us by our physical senses or our mental faculties. In every situation we have to:

1. Take note not so much what our natural (physical) senses are telling us, but what the Holy Spirit is revealing.

2. See through the eyes of the Spirit which is usually in great contrast to what the natural eyes are telling us.

John 11:41,42 - 'Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that you always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.'

Jesus was, in effect, saying it was unnecessary to pray, except for the people to hear Him. He had already seen what God was going to do. Earlier in prayer, the Father had revealed to Him that Lazarus was going to come forth from the grave.

Matthew 9:24,25 -- 'He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping." And they laughed Him to scorn. But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose."

Jesus ignored what His natural eyes told Him, and He declared what His spiritual eyes saw. He saw the heart of God and the mind of God which was far more of a reality than what His physical senses told Him.

　

Faith is the bridge between the eternal (the unseen) and the temporal (the seen). In prayer, we can cross that bridge and see as God sees. Real prayer is not just words, but intently waiting on God until we (by the Spirit) see what He is seeing.