Invisible to the Eye

II Corinthians 4:13–18

It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to Himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

“I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers n

I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. II Cor 11:23–28) The Apostle Paul’s troubles are anything but “light and momentary” (v. 17) when in even less than those circumstances, anyone would’ve felt like a never-ending narrative of pain and suffering, anyone would’ve doubted God’s goodness, His love, His existence. He had been peering through the infinite in his heart, however, having a glimpse of “an eternal glory that far outweighs them all”, he tells us therefore, we do not lose heart (v. 16). “Goodbye," said the fox. "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." “What is essential is invisible to the eye," the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember. What is yet unseen is eternal, to St. Paul, that’s what’s essential, he takes us back to the Psalms, to a song of salvation from hardships: “The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the LORD:"O LORD, save me!" The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion… (Psa 116:3–5).” I like the simplicity in Eugene Peterson’s paraphrasing in The Message: So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes [yes, 🥔🥔🥔, pass on the 🥩&🍷 please, because…] compared to the coming good times [!!!] the lavish celebration prepared for us [LORD, I look forward to Your fulfilment of Matt 26:29]. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever (vv. 17–18). Knowing God, the unseen, the eternal, is what gives us hope. The knowledge of God is an incommensurable good—To know God, the source of infinite goodness and love, is an incomparable good, the fulfillment of human existence. The sufferings of this life cannot even be compared to it. Thus, the person who knows God, no matter what he suffers, no matter how awful his pain, can still say, “God is good to me,” simply by virtue of the fact that he knows God (WL Craig). And so we fix our gaze on Jesus Christ, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Heb 12:2–3).”