Proverbs 23:18 (ESV)
Surely there is a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
This proverb comes on the heels of the previous, which tells us not to envy sinners. Solomon wants us to be careful that we don't cast our gaze onto those without Christ and faith in God. That type of gaze might cause us to start thinking that what we are seeing in our sight is actually what is truly in focus. In our sight we see the wicked playing; loving life and spending time in frolic and fun. But, the true focus ... our long-term vision ... the future, what we see that life takes on a different look. In the future, we have hope. We have something that is coming that others don't see. In the future we have "hope." That is something the unbeliever can't say. We have a blessedness coming that can't be compared to anything we see the world doing or getting. When we look with the eyes of faith we, like Abraham, see a city in the distance, Who's maker and builder is God:
Hebrews 11:9-10 (ESV)
By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. sin.
Faith asks us ... demands us ... to look not with fleshly eyes but with eyes of hope. We see, through faith, what God will do, not what is being done. Look in faith today. Your hope will not be cut off. When we are in suffering we typically see with our earthily eyes. We see the look in the mirror and see that cancer has ravished our hair. We get up to work and discover time as stolen our step. But God gives us hope. He has a future for us. We might see one thing with our eyes of flesh, but we see something completely different with our eyes of faith. We see hope.
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