Exegeting the Hymns #41 - By Faith

By Faith
Keith & Kristyn Getty, Stuart Townend

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 

“One generation will commend Your works to another; they will tell of Your mighty acts. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving towards all He has made. My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise His holy name for ever and ever.” Psalm 145:4, 13, 21 

This verse is quoted on the Getty’s website as an inspiration behind the writing of this song. If the current generation is not telling of God’s mighty acts, we can’t expect the next generation to do so. If the current generation is not singing on Sunday, we shouldn’t expect the next to sing. If the current generation does not value the authority of the Word of God, we should expect the next generation to seek answers elsewhere. We have a responsibility to the next generation to walk by faith and not by sight, so that the next generation will trust, even when they don’t have our life experience and have yet to see God’s faithfulness through many years.

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. For those of us who have walked with Christ for a number of years, we can see God’s hand and faithfulness to us, not only in the sustaining of the world around us, but in the sustaining of our hearts in the midst of life’s circumstances. We need to be a walking testimony of God’s presence, grace, and peace in the midst of trial. If the world sees the we have no faith in our God, why would they want to serve Him as Lord?

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. The Bible is a collection of books, written over thousands of years, but still has one narrative, one main focus, and that is God’s plan of redemption through the work of Jesus Christ. As you read through the Old and New Testaments, you will immediately be impressed by the sovereignty and providence of God in the lives of His people throughout history. God has always had His people, from Adam to Noah to Abraham and his descendants to the New Testament church. He has always been building His Kingdom throughout different dispensations, and one day, His plan will be completed and He will reign forever with His people from throughout the ages.

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. If we are in Christ, His promises should impact how we live our lives, how we interact as a family, how we reach out to others with the good news, how we respond to trials and tribulation, etc. Knowing that God’s eternal Kingdom is being built, and that much of what draws our attention is fleeting, should change our priorities. 1 Corinthians 13 says, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.” We run the race, and even though we can’t see the finish line, we run as though we know it’s there.

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. The Old Testament saints had comparatively little revelation, but knew that “He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” They knew that “He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.” They knew a Messiah was to come and many were faithful to the end. How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? We have the gospels, we have the detailed story of Jesus, we have the testimony of the apostles. We have so much more, so much more will be required for us to walk by faith because we have so much more “sight”.

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. Since the beginning of the church, there have been a “great cloud of witnesses” who have given up their lives to defend the truth. Persecution has always been the fertile soil of church growth and the spread of the gospel. God has always had a plan and purpose and is working it out every day. Seeing the gospel spread around the world should spur us on to be a part of that work and embolden our faith.

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. We see God’s faithfulness in His sustaining creation, in the lives of the Old Testament saints, and in the spread of the gospel to the world by the church. All of those testimonies should change our lives and increase our faith. We have not seen all we will see, but we see enough everyday to build an unshakable faith in our Sovereign Lord.

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