Living by Faith, Not by Sight, in a World of Vapor
“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; vanity of vanities! All is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2).
When the Preacher says that the world is “vanity,” he is not declaring it meaningless. He is declaring it fragile. The Hebrew word means vapor, breath, mist—something real, but fleeting; weighty, yet passing. Life is serious, but not hopeless. Sobering, but not suffocating. Fleeting, but not futile. Though at times it seems like all of those things. But as Chesterton once said, “Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all.”
As Christians we see what can’t be seen; we hope when there seems to be no hope. Because the world is a mist, the only way to see clearly is to walk by faith, not by sight.
A Week of Vapor, A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken
Yesterday’s local elections across America delivered many discouraging results. New York elected a Muslim Democratic Socialist as mayor. Virginia elected an attorney general who has openly wished death on the children of his political opponents. And this follows mere weeks after the murder of Charlie Kirk—an act fueled by the violent hatred the left is increasingly showing toward Christian and conservative values.
Moments like these can make the mist feel thicker. It can tempt us to despair, to fear, or to withdraw. But our confidence does not rise or fall with earthly elections. Our hope is anchored somewhere far more substantial.
We are not a people of the mist. We are a people of the Promise.
Lewis once wrote, “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” These are testing times. And in the test, the Lord calls His people to courage—not because circumstances are bright, but because Christ is risen.
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
Faith is not vague optimism—it is trust in the God who cannot be shaken. Faith means leaning the full weight of your life on His everlasting arms. As the hymn sings:
What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms?
Our hope is not in what we see but in what God has said. And what God has said endures even when everything else evaporates.
Weapons in a War—There Is No Neutral Ground
Living by faith does not mean disengaging from the world. It does not mean hiding from the fight. It means entering the fight with confidence in Christ.
As we saw this past Sunday, Romans 6:13 tells us that whatever we give ourselves to—sin or God—we become instruments in its hands. But the Greek word is not really “instruments.” It’s weapons or armor. Your obedience is warfare. Your disobedience is warfare. Your life is always a weapon in someone’s hands.
Lewis captured this reality well, saying, “There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan.”
There is no sideline. There is no safe middle. The way we live our lives is either advancing the Kingdom or giving ground to the enemy.
Where Many Christians Falter
Tragically, many believers have taken “live by faith” to mean “stay out of the world’s battles.” Some don’t vote. Some vote without any Christian conviction. Many refuse to speak truth in public or live out their Christian values consistently. But this is unacceptable.
Christ did not redeem us to be spectators. He redeemed us to be faithful soldiers. This life may be a vapor, but that does not make it unimportant. It makes it urgent.
Our Duty in the Mist
This is where the words of a Presbyterian of old, William Tennent, speak with piercing clarity:
“I have nothing to do with death; my business is to live as long as I can—as well as I can—and to serve my Lord and Master as faithfully as I can until he should think proper to call me home.”
His point? Death is God’s business. Faithful living is ours.
Tennent isn’t being careless about eternity; he is being faithful in the present. He understood that life—though a mist—is the arena in which we glorify God, love our neighbor, fight for righteousness, and advance Christ’s Kingdom.
Christian piety doesn’t demand that we sit and think about life after death all day. Nor are we called to sit on our hands until heaven arrives. We are called to live well, fight well, and finish well—until God Himself calls us home.
The Mist Matters Because God Reigns Over It
The fleeting nature of life does not make it meaningless; it makes it significant. Every day matters because every day advances one kingdom or another.
As Chesterton put it, “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”
We fight for the unborn because their lives matter.
We fight for justice because God is just.
We fight for righteousness because righteousness exalts a nation.
We fight because Christ is King—and His Kingdom is growing.
Hope That Cannot Evaporate
So do not lose heart. Do not tremble before wicked rulers. Do not let the haze of cultural decay blind you to the brightness of Christ’s reign.
Our hope is not rooted in what we see. Our hope is rooted in what we know:
Christ is risen. Christ reigns. Christ will judge. Christ is building His Church. Christ will fill the earth with His glory.
And nothing—no election, no wicked ruler, no act of violence—can stop Him.
Therefore… Hope. Fight. Believe. Obey.
Church, lift your eyes. Strengthen your hearts. Do not grow weary in doing good. Live by faith, not by sight. Vote as Christians. Labor as Christians. Worship as Christians. Give your members—your whole selves—to God as weapons of righteousness. Because this world is a mist, but the promises of God are eternal.
And as we lean on the everlasting arms, our hope is secure—even in the mist.
In Christ’s service and yours,
Nick Esch