By faith we see the hand of God
In the light of creation's grand design
In the lives of those who prove His faithfulness
Who walk by faith and not by sight

By faith our fathers roamed the earth
With the power of His promise in their hearts
Of a holy city built by God's own hand
A place where peace and justice reign

We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him, our soul's reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We'll walk by faith and not by sight

By faith the prophets saw a day
When the longed for Messiah would appear
With the power to break the chains of sin and death
And rise triumphant from the grave

By faith the church was called to go
In the power of the Spirit to the lost
To deliver captives and to preach good news
In every corner of the earth

By faith this mountain shall be moved
And the power of the gospel shall prevail
For we know in Christ all things are possible
For all who call upon His name

Amen. AMEN! I envy (in a non-sinful way!) the poetic gifts of the Gettys and Stuart Townsend. There are times when my heart seems full to burst and the only outlet I can think of is a song. And the verses I compose are sad, pitiful things next to songs like these.

As Christians, we have a rich history as our forefathers lived out logic defying faith in God. We are truly children of the promise and our lives should be lived in such a way that, if the promises were to fail, we would be viewed as ones to be pitied. We should "fix our eyes on Him, our soul's reward" and press towards the goal that is eternity with God.

I have only lived for 23 years but those 23 years have taught me that there is nothing in this world worth living for. Everything is saturated with sin, layers after layers of sin. Around each bend there is something new waiting to hurt and disappoint. Without the knowledge of God and His Gospel, I can honestly say that I would probably not be alive today. I've often marveled at how unbelievers manage to get out of bed in the morning...for without my Savior I wouldn't bother. There would simply be no point.

Sisters, we are children of an ancient promise, renewed every day. We have a hope that most do not, and yet so often we live as we don't. Our mouths declare our faith in God while our actions and thoughts and heart attitudes declare our skepticism. We believe that He is our soul's reward and yet we need so much more to keep us happy now. We speak of living a life of faith rather than sight but then make grandiose plans for our lives and crumble when something goes 'wrong.'

Lord, you are my soul's reward, all that is necessary for my happiness. I confess multitudes of times when I despaired, when You saw fit to take something from me for my good and your glory, and I couldn't see how it would work out. I confess the times that I went searching for joy apart from You and Your being. I love you more than all else and I truly do not know how to exist apart from you. Keep me ever before the cross, Father. Bring me to my knees before your throne whenever I try to take control of my life. What a futile effort, to take control from you! Grow my knowledge of you, Father, until your presence is so big in my life that You fill every corner of my vision, 'til no matter where I turn, there you are. Come back soon, Lord Jesus, for I am weak. I long for the day when I can exist in your strength free from the blinders of sin. Come back soon. I love you.

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12"1-2