Far-sightedness
And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country … (Luke 15:13).
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth (Hebrews 11:13).
Our sight is remarkable. We can see things which are near and things which are far away, and we can process what we see to co-ordinate our movements. Problems occur when our sight is limited by short-sightedness or by Hyperopia – far-sightedness. In the latter case, distant objects are clearer, but objects close to us are blurred. This is compounded by what we choose to view. And this illustrates the spiritual problem of ignoring, or counting of less importance, the responsibilities we have towards people and things close to us, and being more focussed on things which exclude others, but satisfy our interests and ambitions.
We have a vivid illustration of this in the parable of the prodigal son. He was far-sighted. His eyes were firmly fixed on the “far country”, with all its promised freedom and excitement. His desire did not start the day before he left home. It was something he had already chosen and set his heart on long before. He could not wait to leave his father’s house, because he had never understood his father’s love. This love ultimately transformed the prodigal son’s field of vision. We often exclusively use this parable to preach the Gospel. But it teaches us deep lessons about dissatisfaction, materialism, love of the world, loss, conviction, repentance, restoration and, above all, the depth of God’s love. This path of painful learning can be experienced by Christians.
Caleb was also a man who was far-sighted. As a spy in the promised land, he had seen the beauty of a land “flowing with milk and honey”. Caleb believed that God would enable the children of Israel to possess the promised land. But that did not happen straight away, and he spent the next four decades waiting for that hope to be realised. But how did he live those 40 years? In bitterness and resentment? No! He followed the Lord with all his heart. He proved his faith in all the confinement and testing of the wilderness. And all the time his heart was filled with a living hope. His far-sightedness empowered his daily living. His eyes of faith looked on to the day when he would enter the promised land and possess Hebron (Joshua 14).
God wants us to see by faith the responsibilities and blessings of the here and now. At the same time, ahead of us, we have a living hope that empowers us to live for Him in the present. By His word being applied to our hearts through the ministry of the Holy Spirit of God, He opens our eyes to what lies ahead and gives us the vision to understand the path He wants us to take. Along the way, we will be tempted and our faith will be tested, sometimes severely. Like Demas, we can end up loving the world (2 Timothy 4:10). Like Peter, we can see the waves of uncertainty surrounding us and begin to be overwhelmed (Matthew 14:30). But we have a Saviour who has
the power to save and the power to restore. Peter experienced both. And by “looking unto Jesus” day by day, He brings every aspect of our lives into perspective and teaches us to walk by faith and to please Him (Hebrews 11:6).
