For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient but the things that are unseen are eternal.

As we move into exploring what the Deeper Life looks like, how we live it, and how we thrive in it, let’s take a closer look at our verse for today. This whole chapter of 2 Corinthians is beautiful, and I want to highlight some of the verses leading up to our verses for today.

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In 2 Corinthians 4:6, we notice something about God’s character. It says, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” The Creator of the universe who spoke light into being, placed the sun, moon, and stars in the sky, wants us to know Him! Through Jesus, we come to know God our Father.

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Therefore, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies” (vv. 8-10). Through this saving knowledge, we manifest the very life of Jesus in us. THAT is why when we are crushed, persecuted, and struck down, we can move forward in this earthbound life.

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Verse 16 goes on to say, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” Do you see this? We are being renewed day by day. Which leads us to today’s verses, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

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There’s an end point to the affliction and pain. There’s something more and much, much better than anything we can experience in this temporary life. Our life here is preparing us — for an eternal weight of glory.

Here’s the tough part — it’s really hard to grasp hold of the unseen. We are physical beings and therefore, look for physical confirmation for our current situations. We FEEL the pain. We FEEL the affliction. We FEEL the persecution. We feel all of these in very real ways.

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What we don’t always FEEL is Christ living in us. And that is where our faith comes in. But I truly believe that faith is a muscle we have to build. We build it, not by our own effort, but by the power of God. That might sound like circular logic because that is what we’re struggling with in the first place — connecting with God. But hear me out: through a consistent practice of prayer, Scripture reading, worship, solitude with God, meeting in community, serving with His people, and recalling all He has done for us, we can KNOW intellectually that He is there. As we get better and better at hearing Him and seeing Him in our everyday lives, we can move that intellectual knowledge in our heads to an emotional knowledge in our hearts — thus building our faith. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

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Now, when the seen feels overwhelming, we can count on the unseen and its hopeful eternity. We can look past the transient situation of the seen and onto the glory beyond all comparison. Where do you need to shift your focus from the seen to the unseen? What practices can you put into place to do consistently that will help build your faith in the unseen? Are you in a community that can help with that? Are you serving alongside God’s people?

Jesus, I believe. Help my unbelief. When I’m struggling because the seen feels so much bigger than the unseen, help me to lean not on my own understanding but to trust You with all my heart. Help me to build consistent rhythms in my life that will continue to draw me closer to You. Thank You that You are there waiting for me, that You long to draw me close, and that You delight in me. God, we delight in You because You are where the joy is! In Jesus’ name ~ AMEN!