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LIVING BY AN INVISIBLE PARADOX

Søren Kierkegaard once described the “Knight of Faith” as someone who lives from the inside out—whose soul is anchored in a divine paradox invisible to the eyes of the crowd. This person is not defined by their bank account, Instagram following, or spiritual stage performance. They may seem quiet, even unremarkable at first glance. And yet, within them dwells something sacred—something rare and unshakable. When the illusions upon which the majority have built their lives begin to collapse, as they surely will, these souls will remain standing. For they have wisely anchored themselves to the immovable rock of faith, digging deeper than popular philosophy, mainstream theology, or self-help mantras ever dared to go.

They have moved beyond the surface-level comforts that soothe the masses. Past the noise of trending opinions, the shallow waters of pop spirituality, and the hollow affirmations that promise much but deliver little. They have rejected the fleeting and embraced the eternal. Where others are content to skim the surface, they have plunged beneath, seeking substance over spectacle, truth over trend. They have chosen the narrow path—not for its glamour, but for its grounding. Because they know that only what is rooted in the eternal can withstand the shaking to come.

To the modern eye trained to measure worth by metrics, they appear almost unmarketable. Too intense, too honest, too unwilling to barter their peace for popularity. And yet, they are precisely what the world aches for but does not understand.

Their honesty is not flattery dressed up in charm; it is a mirror held up to reality. It reflects truth as it is—not as we wish it to be. For some, this is a breath of fresh air in a world full of polished pretense and curated personas. But for many, it’s confronting—uncomfortable. Because truth has a way of unmasking the illusions we cling to, exposing the scaffolding of falsehood we’ve built our lives upon. We don’t just hide from others—we hide from ourselves. From the aching questions, from the silent discontent, from the deep reality we fear might undo us. And while these rare souls speak not with condemnation but with clarity, their very presence becomes disruptive. Not by intent, but by nature. Light always reveals what darkness tries to conceal.

Their faith is not loud or flamboyant. It doesn’t demand attention, nor does it seek applause. It is quiet, but it is rooted—deeply anchored in something the crowd cannot see. It draws its strength from the Word of God, not merely absorbed as information but internalised as breath. As sustenance. As spiritual food that becomes spiritual energy for the (human) spirit hidden within.

This is not about performance but about covenant living.

THE UNFOLDING OF FAITH WITHIN

True faith does not grow by accident. It grows by ingestion—by meditating on God’s Word until it becomes who you are. Scripture must travel from the eye to the mind, from the mind to the heart, and from the heart it powers inspired action.

This is why Psalm 1 describes the righteous as trees planted by streams of water: “Their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night.” This is not a fleeting glance at a verse of the day. It is a slow chewing. A wrestling. A remembering. A becoming.

Faith grows when the Word becomes more than doctrine—it becomes dwelling. It takes root in the soil of our solitude, watered by obedience, pruned by trial, and illuminated by the Spirit.

And like Kierkegaard’s knight, those who walk this path don’t live from external validation. They live from inward revelation. That is, they are not limited by external sources to sustain their lives since they have learned to tap the fountain within. This is why Paul writes,

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…”
— Colossians 3:16 (ESV)

MEDITATION: THE HIDDEN ENGINE OF FAITH

When Joshua was commissioned to lead Israel into the Promised Land—a feat humanly impossible—God didn’t give him a military strategy, political counsel or economic policy, instead He gave him a meditation instruction:

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
— Joshua 1:8 (ESV)

The key to entering the Promised Land wasn’t brute strength, but spiritual strength derived from internalised Word. The Hebrew word for “meditate” here is הָגָה (hagah), which carries a rich spectrum of meanings: to meditation, muttering, or reciting under one’s breath. Even growling (purring) falls under its definition. It evokes the image of someone speaking the Word to themselves—again and again—until it becomes part of their very being. This is not dissimilar from the way we eat normal food. We do not just swallow our food whole, instead we chew it first. In fact it has often been likened to a cow chewing the cud, grinding down the word in the mouth until it surrender all its spiritual power to the eater.

We see this echoed in Psalm 1, where the righteous person is described as:

“…his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates (הָגָה) day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water…”
— Psalm 1:2–3

Just as breath is repeated, cyclical, essential to life—so is the act of meditating on God’s Word. It is not mere reading; it is ruminating. Turning the Word over in one’s heart like a cow chewing the cud—drawing out its depth, its nourishment, its divine oxygen.

FROM HEBREW TO EUROPEAN ROOTS: THE RHYTHM OF FAITH

Fascinatingly, the Hebrew hagah shares a phonetic and conceptual kinship with repetitive back-and-forth words in Afrikaans and German:

• Afrikaans: hakkel – stutter, a repetitive motion.
• German: häkeln – to crochet, a recursive motion.
• English: haggle – to have a back and forth tug of war using words.

These terms all involve rhythmic, repetitive, recursive action—a back-and-forth motion, a weaving or threading process. This echoes the act of spiritual meditation: going over the Word again and again, until it is woven into your subconscious, into your soul.

You will never know the power of chewing the word of God until you try it for yourself.

Perhaps we can say we weave the cloth of faith from the words we keep in our mouths?

Just as crochet turns a single strand of thread into a fabric through repetition, so hagah turns a single Scripture into a stronghold of faith. It is cognitive weaving, threading divine truth through the fabric of the mind until it becomes identity.

To meditate is not to escape reality—it is to root yourself deeper into it. The true reality. And from this rootedness comes the faith that endures storms (as is illustrated in Psalm 1).

FAITH AS THE FOUNDATION OF GOD’S PROMISES

In Joshua 1:8, we are reminded that success and prosperity—both spiritually and practically—are rooted in faith and obedience to God’s Word:

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
— Joshua 1:8 (ESV)

Here, the foundation of entering the Promised Land is clear: faith is literally the the way to lay hold of the promises of God, and faith, as Romans 10:17 tells us, “…comes by hearing and hearing…” Faith doesn’t just fall on you like a ripe tomato—it is the product of chewing your spiritual food well until it becomes a part of us, after-all, we are what we eat!

Joshua is called not to believe but to meditate on God’s Word continually. God knows that the faith is the automatic by-product of this action.

This act of meditating on God’s Word is directly tied to producing the faith we need to enter into promise-living. It is only through this deeply rooted faith that Joshua—and by extension, Israel—could step into the promises God had prepared for them. Without this faith, the Israelites would have remained in the wilderness, doubting and disobedient, never experiencing the fullness of what God had for them.

FAITH IN THE FACE OF FAILURE: LESSONS FROM PSALM 106

Psalm 106 gives us a sobering reminder of how the lack of faith can hinder God’s work in our lives. The psalm recounts Israel’s repeated failures, particularly their lack of trust in God, despite the miracles He performed for them. It serves as a reflection on the consequences of unbelief:

“They despised the pleasant [promised] land; they did not believe His promise. They grumbled [complained] in their tents and did not listen to the voice of the LORD. So He raised His hand and swore to cast them down in the wilderness.” — Psalm 106:24–26 (ESV)

The psalmist highlights a critical moment in Israel’s history, where their lack of faith led them to forget God’s mighty acts. They “…did not listen” so did not have the necessary faith. This is evidenced by their “grumbling,” a sure sign that we are in unbelief. Despite witnessing His miracles, they quickly turned away, doubting His power and promises, and as a consequence never entered into the promises He wanted to give them. They perished in the wilderness because of their own unbelief, not because God wanted them to perish there.

The truth is, without faith, God’s ability to act in our lives is limited. We see this clearly in Psalm 78:41 where it says:

“They limited the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember His power the day when He redeemed them from the enemy.”
— Psalm 78:41 (NKJV)

The Israelites’ unbelief literally restricted the greatness of God’s miracles. They had witnessed His power firsthand, yet their lack of faith in His promises prevented them from fully experiencing His deliverance.

And concider this caution from MArk 6:5-6,

“And He could not do a mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief.”

This is a warning to us: our doubts, fears, and lack of trust can obstruct God’s miraculous work in our lives. Faith, once again, is the key that unlocks God’s mercy and His promises.

Remember this: Faith comes by Hearing. And Hearing comes by meditating [chewing] on Gods words in the Bible.

In Joshua 1:8, Mark 6, Psalm 78 and Psalm 106, we see the importance of believing Gods words. The Israelites’ failure was rooted not in their lack of faith, but in their failure to follow a simple instruction, to meditate on His words. In contrast, Joshua’s success was built on his unwavering belief in God’s commands, which allowed him to step boldly into the unknown, knowing that God was faithful to His promises.

WOMEN OF THE WILDERNESS, MEN OF THE MARGIN

This spiritual archetype, Knights of Faith, is not reserved for men alone. Many women—especially those of deep inner life who resist performance-driven femininity or transactional connection—embody this “knight of faith” posture in a uniquely fierce and faithful way.

They are not soft for convenience. They are soft for covenant. They carry within them not a script of fear, but a scroll of truth. These women—and men—are often misunderstood. Called “too much.” Too spiritual. Too serious. Too mysterious. But their “too much” is only a threat to systems built on too little.

They will not shrink their intellect, dilute their discernment, or silence their song to make others comfortable. They walk with wisdom that cannot be commodified.

And because their allegiance lies in another Kingdom, they will always walk in tension with this one.

WHY THE WORLD MISREADS THEM

In every counterfeit economy—romantic, economic, even religious—there is a script. A performance. A transactional rhythm. But those who internalise the Word walk to a different beat. They’re not easy to impress, not because they’re hard-hearted, but because they’re deeply formed.

Their eyes have seen something eternal. And now, they cannot be seduced by the temporary, the superficial and the placating.

• They don’t seek applause. They seek meaning.
• They don’t offer emotional fast food. They bring the slow feast of covenant.
• They’re not looking for a seat at the table. They are building an altar.

Such people often seem “impractical” to the world. And yet, their very existence is prophetic. They reveal what it means to live in God’s economy—where the currency is obedience, the product is wholeness, and the reward is Him.

HOW TO BECOME ONE

Let’s begin this section with why getting faith is the most important thing you can do. Jesus’ statement in Matthew 9:29 should get our attention,

“According to [because of] your faith be it done to you.”

Are you making the mistake of waiting for God to decide to save you? You may think you’re waiting for God, but the truth is, He is waiting for you to believe. He isn’t limiting Him, but you may be limiting Him in what He can actually do for you. Your faith matters, it determines the quality and quantity of your life. To become this kind of person—that experience’s God’s extra-ordinary provision—you must internalise the Word. Not just read it. Let it read you. Let it confront you, console you, commission you.

Begin small. A verse. A phrase. A whispered prayer. Let it take up residence in your thought life. Let it interrupt your fears, your scrolling, your assumptions e.g. when you feel your faith wavering say the words,

“Faith comes….faith comes….faith comes….by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17)

Faith does not grow through effort alone. It grows through exposure to truth. Let the Word dwell in you richly (Colossians 3:16). Let it be your food, your fire, your mirror, your map.

THE HIDDEN WALKER

And when you are tempted to abandon mediation for faith for the latest fads or louder platforms, remember: the crowd will always misunderstand the knight. But the King never will.

Those who walk this path may seem alone, but they never truly are. For the One who sees in secret walks with them. He strengthens them in silence. He anchors them in paradox. He sustains them by His Word.

You are not here to blend in. You are here to bear witness.

DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Lord,

anchor my faith in You, not in appearances or applause. Make me a person of depth, not display—a person who lives from the inside out. Help remain faithful to internalise Your Word until it becomes my spiritual carburant, my courage, and my confession. Form me into someone who can walk with You in secret, love with covenant strength, and shine with quiet boldness in a world of noise.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

MEMORY VERSE

“Faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

1. What areas of my life are still driven by external validation instead of internal conviction?
2. In what ways do I sense a quiet call to live differently—deeper, slower, truer?
3. How can I begin to internalise Scripture more intentionally this week?
4. Have I misjudged people who live from the inside out, simply because I didn’t understand them?
5. What is my first verse I will meditate on today?

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