“For we live by believing and not by seeing.” (2 Corinthians 5:7 NLT)
Do you realize that on many levels the most meaningful aspects of our lives are created and stored in the unseen places of our heart? Can you draw a picture of love? Describe the impact of compassion? Formulate thoughts that can adequately express your appreciation for what Jesus has done and is doing for you? We try to act as if what is unseen doesn’t matter or count, but what about the air we breathe, the heart that pumps our blood, the devotion we have to our newborn child?
Many like to believe that faith is abstract and foreign to us, yet it simply joins the dozens of other unseen things that give meaning, joy, appreciation, sustenance, and a thousand other good things to our lives each moment of each day. Belief is in the fabric of our being. We’re going to believe, it’s only a matter of that in which we put our faith.
Each day we choose the outlook, attitude, demeanor, pathway, in short, we map out our strategy as to how we will deal with what we encounter during the course of the day, all of which is invisible to us at that point in time. Our mind gives visibility to what we imagine, yet even then we’d struggle to explain what we’re seeing or imagining.
Each day Ray Marjoran shares his thoughtful and beautiful prayers and adds a picture to help us envision that about which he prays. A few days ago, he prayed: “Please help us to fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on the eternal promises You have given. When doubts whisper that we are alone, remind us that Your presence surrounds us, like the sunrise breaking through the winter trees.
Teach us to take each step with courage, knowing that Your plans for us are good, even when they are beyond our understanding. Guard our hearts from the need for constant certainty. Instead, may we have a deep trust in Your Word and in Your Spirit, who leads us with peace and assurance. Let our faith be a witness to those around us, reflecting the quiet confidence that comes from walking hand-in-hand with You.”
What do you see when you pray? What thoughts guide you as you carry on a conversation with the living God? Have you ever stopped to realize that the words of Scripture are largely invisible words that the Lord shared with those who were in tune with His voice and were conveyed through prayer? In Isaiah 43:19 we read God’s words as He shared them with His Prophet: “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”
Is your heart parched today? Does your life feel like a vast wasteland too desolate to make sense? Or does it sometimes feel like you’re groping in the darkness trying to find your way? Hear God’s words through the Psalmist: “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me. Your rod and Your staff protect and comfort me.”
In a very real sense, the most vital aspects of our lives are experienced without the benefit of our physical senses. Who God is and how we experience Him is a deeply spiritual matter that may result in a physical response but can only be processed and followed through the devotion of our heart, mind, and soul. The greater our willingness to understand the value and impact of that which is beyond the visible, the easier it will become for us to “see” and follow our Savior.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 