Believing is Seeing

Happy Sabbath, everyone! We certainly serve an awesome God, don't we? What a beautiful song! Thank you so much for that wonderful praise to our God and inspiration for us. Absolutely wonderful. There's something about siblings when they sing together that just matches so beautifully. And maybe that's even more true with twins. I don't know, so Kaylee and Courtney, thank you so much for that beautiful song. Really appreciated that.

Well, you may have heard the story about a man who was talking to his friend. And he said, having this problem, I keep seeing spots. His friend said to him, well, have you ever seen a doctor? And he said, nope, just spots. Now, when I thought of that story, I heard about this other man who was having trouble seeing. And he came to his friend, and his friend noticed this red substance all around his eyes. And he said, well, what is this? And the man said, you know, I've been rubbing ketchup around my eyes because I'm having trouble seeing. His friend says, what? Why in the world would you rub ketchup around your eyes? And the man said, well, I've heard... wait for it.

Heinzeit is 2020. That's pretty rough. Yeah. Heinze, ketchup, yeah, you get it. Now, why I told those stories is because we oftentimes hear, seeing is believing. We've all heard that. Or maybe I'll believe it when I see it. Yeah, people say that all the time. That's what the world tells us. They'll tell us, well, if I don't have proof right in front of my eyes, nope, not going to take it in. There's no way that's... I doubt that. And when we consider that, God actually calls us to have a radically different perspective because He flips that around. He says, believe it, then you'll see it. And so He calls us to trust Him in what we cannot see.

If you like themed scriptures for the day, well, this is it. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 18. If you'd like to turn there with me, a familiar passage that Paul writes to God's church in Corinth, and He's reminding them about the proper perspective that we all need to have. Because this idea doesn't come naturally because everything we see is so real. It seems so permanent. And yet, here God is inspiring Paul to remind us about the proper perspective. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 18. It says, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. And so everything, whether it's your job, whether it's your possessions, whether it's whatever, your clothing, your health, that's temporary. All of that is temporary. But God promises His presence, His ability to help us and guide us, and His eternal plan, that's not shakable. That is absolutely sure. And so we're reminded, faith calls us to see beyond what's temporary and see the invisible, see what's not physically seeable. And so to step forward into that path of faith, even though it may be hidden. Now, if you imagine for a moment, you're at the base of a foggy mountain, and you wanted to go up that path. And yet, you can't tell. The top is completely hidden. You can't see it. You can't see the trail even just before you. And so everything seems uncertain. And then a hiker comes down right before you and says, hey, I just came from the top. The view up there is absolutely amazing. It's just breathtaking. He tells you, don't worry about the fog. Just keep going. The path, it'll get safe. It'll be clear. And if you climb, you're going to see it for yourself. So now you've got a choice. Well, do I push ahead? Or do I think, I need to see it first? Or do you trust the testimony of that hiker? He's been there and just start climbing. What do you do?

Life ever feel that way? Life ever seem that that's your perspective. It seems like a foggy mountain. I can't quite see what's coming next. I can't see the top. It's not very clear. But if you turn over a page or so to 2 Corinthians 5.7, here we're reminded of this very familiar passage. 2 Corinthians 5.7, it says, we walk by faith, not by sight. Our lifestyle is not one of uncertainty and fear, but we walk by faith. That's our lifestyle. I mean, think of this little story. I mean, who's the hiker? Well, that's Christ.

Jesus Christ is the hiker. He's already ascended. He's been through it. He calls us to trust Him. And so believing His Word can give us the courage to take each step. We can have a confidence that ultimately we will see the reality of God's promises. So if we think about this nature of faith and what it's all about, it is absolutely not wishful thinking. That is not faith. Faith is not some kind of a, oh, wishful blind optimism.

That is not faith. If we turn over to Hebrews 11, right at the beginning of this chapter, yes, and in fact, we may recognize Hebrews 11, sometimes called the faith chapter. Well, notice how it begins. Chapter 11 in the book of Hebrews helping us to recognize a better perspective, a better definition when it comes to the nature of faith.

Hebrews 11, verse 1, it says, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. So we've got substance and we have evidence even though I can't physically see it. I can't see it. And so we recognize that's talking about trust. That's talking about having a confidence, not in myself, but a confidence in God.

And so it shifts our vision to what's fleeting, from what's temporary, from what's momentary, what are the physical, visible things we see. And where does it shift our vision? To the eternal, to the things that will last, and to the invisible reality of God Himself. And so faith calls us to be steady, to be sure, even when life brings storms that are just raging around us. If you turn back just a little bit to Hebrews 6, you could hold your place there in Hebrews 11, we'll come back in just a moment.

But if you look back to Hebrews 6, notice verse 19. It certainly encourages us to have the kind of perspective that God really wants us to have. It says here, Hebrews 6, 19, this hope we have as an anchor of the soul. And so when you talk about evidence and substance, there is substance and evidence to faith, there is an anchor, it says here, to our life, to our very being that is both sure and steadfast.

And it says it enters the presence behind the veil. Well, what's the presence behind the veil? Well, that's talking about God's throne room. I mean, probably immediately for the Hebrews, the temple or the tabernacle would have come to mind, where the Holy of Holies was.

Well, that was representative of God's throne room. This anchor that we have, it's not to some physical tabernacle or temple, this anchor goes right to the throne room of God. We are anchored at God's throne and it is sure and it is steadfast. And like an anchor you throw over the boat, well, it's kind of like that.

It goes right down to the bottom and what happens? It secures that boat so it's not going anywhere. Well, this secures us and faith anchored at the throne of God says, we are assured of His promises. They absolutely will come to pass. But I can't see that anchor down at the bottom of the lake. I can't see that anchor right at the throne of God.

That doesn't change the fact that's where it is. And the fact that we can believe and have this subtle reassurance that God is with us no matter what because He gave us His Word. He promises us. And so this trust that His Word is right, His ways are true, His plan is absolutely unchangeable, even though sometimes my reasoning seems a little bit unsure of that.

Now, it's interesting when you begin to think about the fact of faith being grounded and anchored in this way, there are so many biblical examples that bear that fact out. A couple of familiar ones I chose this afternoon to take a look at just as a reminder, if you held your place in Hebrews 11, if you go back there for a moment, Hebrews 11.24, it begins to cite the example of Moses. We're back in the faith chapter. It's mentioning all these individuals that are actually just like you and me, and yet we're anchored in faith. And so here we have the example of Moses. It says, when He became of age, this is verse 24, Hebrews 11, He refused to be called son of Pharaoh's daughter, brought up in the court of Pharaoh, but instead, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. For He looked to the reward. By faith, He forsook Egypt. Notice the way that it phrases this. Not fearing the wrath of the king, for He endured as seeing Him who is invisible. He didn't focus on those physical things. And think of Moses. Boy, physically, He had everything. Everything you could possibly imagine. Power. Just say the word and it was done. The comforts. I have someone waving a fan in front of you at any moment. Yeah, you had all of that. Wealth, privilege. He could have had the easiest life imaginable. Pharaoh's palace. Maybe he could have had Nefertiri. I mean, who wouldn't like to hang out with Ann Baxter? Okay, wrong. Ten Commandments movie, right? Well, He chose something greater. I mean, He chose God. And what did He do? Stepped into the unknown. Stepped into the unsure. And what did He face? Complaints, whining, rebellion, danger. All of those. Why would He choose that? Because faith allowed Him to see Him who is invisible.

And for us, faith gives us the encouragement to face hardships, focusing on God rather than the things that are around us. Also true with Abraham. No need to turn back. Might make just a little note about Genesis 12. It tells the story as God called Abram. And you're probably familiar with the story. What does God tell Abram? Get out of your country, right? Get out from your family. Get out from your father's house. Yeah, that sounds easy enough to do. But Abram was an old guy. He was 75 years old. You think he was pretty locked into the way things were? Things are going okay. I got lots of herds. I'm doing fine. Why would I want to do that?

But Abraham went. He went. Now, I will turn over to Romans 4 where it gives the reason why. How could he do that? Romans 4, verse 20, we have some extra information here that helps us to frame how he could do that, why he would make that choice. Well, if you remember the story, God didn't just tell Abraham to get out. He gave him many promises if Abraham would follow him. And Romans 4, verse 20 is a reminder of that very fact. It tells us, he did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief. Or I suppose he could have said for a lack of vision, for a lack of... because he didn't focus on those physical things. It says he was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what he, what God had promised, he was also able to perform. But Abraham didn't know where he was going. He wasn't, yeah, wasn't right there visibly in front of him that God would fulfill those promises. But even to the extent that he was going to have to face giving up his own son, but see, it moved him to trust God. It moved him to action. And that's one of the things for us. Can we see? Can we see beyond the physical reality around us? And we could look at the example of Job losing his entire family, and yet he trusted God, or that example of the centurion who needed a healing. And he told Jesus, just say the word, and I know it will be done. And so as you think about these particular examples, I think we can draw some powerful principles from these two examples of Abraham and Moses. Principles for us. Two. Let's look at the first.

Number one is faith fixes its focus. I tried to be using a little alliteration there. In other words, faith looks beyond what's right in front of us. That's a powerful principle that we need to recognize. Moses, what did he see? Pharaoh's army, the Red Sea, listening to all the complaints, seeing unhappy, whining people. What did that look like? That looks impossible. I have to deal with all the... Yeah, where did he fix his focus? On our invisible God. Abraham, did he fix his focus on home, on all the comforts of family? No, he focused on unknown. And yet with trust, when we think of that principle, life is full of challenges. And it can certainly feel overwhelming. And whether it's illness or relationships or uncertainty on our jobs, faith causes us to focus on God's eternal promises, not the immediate things that are right in front of us.

You know, Christ said, blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed. And so when circumstances in our life just scream out, it's impossible! Faith says, God's bigger than what I see. They did it. They're like us. With God's help, we can too. Now, their example leads us to another powerful principle. Number two, faith fastens firmly. We're going to stick with the alliterations here for a moment. So not only does faith fix its focus, faith fastens firmly. Suddenly, I sound like a spokesman's club vocal warm-up. Well, in other words, when you think of faith, it holds on when everything says, let's get out of here. Let's get out of here. Abraham believed even though logic said, it's impossible. It's impossible. We read that passage there in Romans 4. How old was Abraham now? 75 when God said, get out. Now when he's saying, do these things, I'm going to bless you. I'm going to give you a son. He's 100 years old. He's 100 years old at that time. How is that possible? And yet, he obeyed. He chose to trust the Word of God, representing the fact faith isn't just passive. No, it's an active thing even when the evidence isn't obvious. And so for us, when doubt begins to creep in, faith helps us to stand firm because we are anchored in what never, ever changes. We're anchored at the throne room of God, at His throne, at His Word, at His will, at His truth. And that leads us to a third powerful principle is that faith follows through. Faith follows through. It keeps going, even when it looks hard, even when it's difficult, even when it hurts to go forward. Yeah, life brings that at times. Think of Moses enduring the trials in the wilderness, 40 years. Think of Abraham. God gave him this radical command to sacrifice his own son. Yet, faith wasn't just believing. It was moving them forward to act. And so it's the same for us, because through faith we can endure whatever life may bring. We can follow God's lead even when it's difficult and hidden. And as we take each step forward in trust, we show our confidence in the truth of God. And we show that our faith, our confidence truly rests in God. I was trying to think of an example of this, and I think in a way it's like a long-distance runner. You know, someone that runs a marathon. Think about running a marathon. When you start, can you see the finish line? No, it's 26 miles away. It's easy to run a marathon, though. Anyone ever run a marathon?

I'd better put my hand down. Okay, so maybe a couple of movements. Half marathon. There's no pain associated with running a marathon at all, is there? Well, if you read about those long-distance runners, no, there is excruciating pain, and they got to get beyond that pain. And yet, they choose to keep going. Even though they can't know when that pain may pass, they keep going. And they can't see around every little corner. And you know, they don't really see their progress, either. They keep going, step by step. They trust their training. They trust their plan. And they focus ultimately on the goal. But that's a goal. They can't see it physically.

And so for us, faith works the same way. Moses and Abraham, they didn't see the full reward, but they pressed on. They trusted God. Moses turned those trials into opportunities. Opportunities to show a confidence and a trust in our awesome Creator God, in His promises, in those promises that were unchangeable, unshakable. And so it just reminds me that, yeah, we're like that. We are spiritual marathon runners. And we've got to take each step in obedience, each step in confidence and trust, even though the finish line of the kingdom may not always be that obvious. And so how do we apply those principles in our lives? Because I believe these principles are certainly things that can help us then to apply them in our everyday life. And so let's think about a number of practical applications to these three powerful principles from those examples that we looked at in God's Word. Well, one practical application for us is that we have to, if we claim to be God's people, we have to follow God even when the future is fuzzy. We have to. We have to trust God in uncertainty. Follow God when the future's fuzzy. I kept with the F alliterations here in these practical applications as well. You know, when we've got a plan for life, and we all know that once we set a plan, nothing ever changes, right? No, it always does, it seems. That's the nature of life. And when the path shifts, opportunities that we thought were going to happen fall through, things are kind of vague. Well, that's when we lean on God's direction. We can't lean on our own understanding, right? We know that's certainly one of those proffers. We trust Him. We have our confidence in Him with life, with our children, with our jobs, with our relationships. We can trust Him even when worry and concern and anxiety fill our minds that make it seem overwhelming. Well, even when it's fuzzy, we can trust God in what's uncertain. We can lean on His Word, lean on Scripture. We can pray for guidance. We can choose to trust over worry. And how do we do that? Can we practically follow God when the future's fuzzy? What does that look like? Well, rather than just a nice theory, just a principle, what do we do? Is there some actions I can take to make my faith a practical kind of thing?

Absolutely. Make it your goal every day to begin with prayer and to pray, God, guide my steps today. You guide my steps. I've got an idea what's going to happen, what I'd like to happen, what my goals are. But you know, God, guide my steps today. Make that a part of the beginning of our day, to put it in God's hands, to trust Him, to recognize this day might go absolutely crazy and the unexpected may come up. But we put it in God's hands and He has promised to be with us no matter what. So we can do that very practical thing because it might be one of those fuzzy days that bring the unexpected. Now, we could also write down our worries. What are those concerns? If we begin to really consider these things that we're concerned about, we could write them down. We could even write down the things that we need to make decisions about. You know, when we're facing decisions, things that we have to choose a direction, maybe it's on our job or in our family with a situation we're looking for God's direction on, write it down. Write it down. And I believe that can help us to think that I'm writing this down because this isn't for me, this is something I'm going to hand this over to God. I'm going to hand this worry, these concerns, these decisions to God. And when we do that, you might even be kneeling at your bedside praying and saying, here's this list I've got, God, I'm giving it to you. I'm giving it to you. And that helps establish our frame of mind because we want to trust in God with all our heart. I don't want to lean on my own understanding. Maybe bringing that proverb, Proverbs 3, verse 5, bringing that to mind, maybe even memorizing that, keeping that in mind that, God, I want you to direct my path, even when it's going to be a challenge, even that I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to do. I know, God, You say You will always be with me no matter what. And so I'm facing these fuzzy future situations and I need your help. And so as we do that, I think what's actually happening there is we're choosing to trust God like an Abraham, like a Moses, even in uncertainty, and trusting God, you're going to handle this. I'm going to do what I can, but God, you're going to take the rest and we're going to put it in His hands. And so we're going to make that commitment that no matter what, we're going to follow God even when the future's fuzzy.

Now there's a second practical application that I believe we can draw from these examples that we were looking at a little bit earlier. As we recognize there's difficulties that we're going to face and we're called to see the invisible, we can fix our focus in the fight. Notice I didn't say fix your focus on the fight. Number two is fix your focus in the fight. In other words, when the challenges and the difficulties and the hardships come, and they will, we're fixing our eyes on God because those unexpected challenges of stress, they're going to come. Unexpected challenges of illness. I mean, I was fine a couple of days ago, and now I'm faced with this health challenge. Or if the economy changes and I lost my job, my finances are in a mess, what am I going to do? I'm discouraged. I'm facing these difficulties. Sometimes I'm just tired. I am just weary. Well, that's when we fix our focus in those hardships, in those challenges. And that means I'm going to make the right choices because I'm looking to God. It means when I'm frustrated, I'm going to choose patience over frustration.

When I'm feeling discouraged, instead of discouragement, I've got to choose hope over discouragement. Maybe when things, boy, they just feel like I can't be confident. Well, instead of doubt, we're going to tell ourselves, I am going to choose trust over doubt. And when we fix our eyes on God, He's going to help us to do those very things.

I mean, have you ever taken the time to write down how God has answered your prayers? Have you ever written those things down? You prayed about something and you knew there was no doubt God stepped in and amazing things happened. You know those. Maybe nobody else is aware of these things. You know it to be true. Have you ever written those things down? It's an amazing thing when we recognize and we make a special note about how God has guided us. How He personally was a part of a situation in our life. And when it gets tough, to remind ourselves, oh yeah, I remember God that you did that. How you were so amazing in this situation. And when it's tough, you could step back and you can remind yourself of those situations. Or maybe you step back when the life is difficult and we're challenged to even speak His Word. Speak those promises to God. Have you ever done that? You think about those promises that God has made. God, you are telling me I will strengthen you. You say, yes, I will help you. I'll be there. I'll uphold you with my righteous hand. He didn't record that for us in Isaiah, just for nice words. No, He's promising us that. He's telling us, well, they're in the book of Hebrews, I'll never leave you or forsake you. Got it? It feels that way. I feel challenged. I feel a little unsure. Help me because I know you promised this. You tell me that you're not leaving, that you'll always be there with me. And we can do that very thing. We can fix our focus in the fight on God. And He's going to help us. He's going to help us. And He's going to be there for us. And yet, is that an instantaneous thing? Does that mean, okay, I'm fixed on God and, boy, just like a magic wand, He'll wave it over me and everything will be great.

We know it doesn't work like that, does it?

That's where I think we need another practical application. The third one, favor the forever.

Favor the forever. Or live for what lasts. So we've got to recognize there's a difference between the things that are temporary and the things that are eternal. And so we're going to favor those things that are forever, those things that are permanent, those things that are eternal. And when we recognize that, we realize, wow, that turns things totally around from the things that normally appeal to us because we're human. Wow, making the big bucks, that appeals to me. That's what life's about, right? Wait a second. Success, recognition is, well, that's appealing. You're having the comforts of life, you know, the bigger, better thing. Oh, isn't that the good old American way? Well, wait a second. The convenience and the status. Yeah, all of those things are appealing to our human nature. But what is faith to? Faith prioritizes the things that last, prioritizes God's kingdom and His plan over approval, over, well, what gets in our way. Yeah, we want a pat on the back. We want a way to go. We want the attaboy. You're amazing. Yeah, we all love that kind of thing. If we're not careful, we could fall for that. God's saying, wait a second. No, that's a temporary thing, because one day they're honoring you. The next day they're putting you down.

And so He reminds us, don't get caught up in the attaboys. Don't get caught up in, well, even the entertainment that can lock us in. Boy, it's so easy. It is so easy. Entertainment is everywhere. It's right there on our phone. We can stream anything, everything that we want. And those temporary things, the temporary, wow, look at this. Look what's trending today. Wow, look at that. All of those things can draw us in and change our focus. And just the materialism that we face can sometimes just seem overwhelming. And yet, God tells us, favor the forever. And that means I've got to make the choices that reflect eternal values, the real things that are going to last over the immediate. Yeah, it's not only temporary, but so oftentimes it's just immediate gratification. And we know how easy that is because, wow, I looked at that interesting, you know, a little short and on to the next one and on to the next one. And, wow, we can get locked into that if we're not careful. And so, God reminds us, make the choices that reflect the values that will continue to last. And I think that that brings us back to asking God and petitioning Him to just help me to recognize those temptations. Because that's where it starts, doesn't it? I got to recognize I'm getting caught up in this. I'm losing my focus or I'm drawn in that direction. And praying and asking God, help me to notice that. Help me by the power of your spirit, not to get locked into those things. And we've recognized the power of the visual. I mean, isn't that where social media is gone? Right? It's all about the visual. Wow, see this and see that and recognize, yeah, it takes us in. And so, yeah, life has tended that. God help me. Help me to notice those temptations. Help me not to get caught up in convenience or material or just self-indulgence. I don't want to go that way, God. Help me to recognize that. We can ask God, help me then to choose those things that do reflect your priorities. Help me to choose those things that are eternal priorities. Well, what would that look like? Well, Christ reiterated over and over again what those things can look like. Maybe it's focusing on somebody else, right? We're told that Philippians esteem others. Well, I don't really want to go move furniture, but they need help. Can I help somebody in need? Can I see the need? Yeah, I could do that. Can I bring to mind a passage of Scripture that would help frame my thinking? Well, if it's not in my mind already, it's going to be hard to come to mind. You know, we're told that God's Spirit will bring all things into remembrance. But that means I've got to put it there to begin with. And so He's going to help me with my senior moments, right? As long as it's already there. As long as I studied His Word, as long as I recognize that and put it in my mind and in my heart, it's going to come. And I can ask God to help me bring that to mind when I'm faced with these challenges, when I'm faced with the immediate rather than the forever. And so when I'm faced with that temptation to fudge the truth, maybe not being honest, not being forthright, I can pray and ask God to help me always to choose integrity.

Help me in that way, God. Help me to resist those tempta... Help me to resist complaining. I don't want to be like those Israelites. Help me not to go that direction, but help me. Help me to speak. Help me to stand for your way and help me to do it in love. And whether it's at work or whether it's at home or whether it's at school, help me in that way to do those things that reflect your character. And of course, when we start the day in that way, a practical way to favor the forever is to kind of rehearse those things at the end of the day. We get to the end of the day, we could ask ourselves, well, did I really act in faith today? We could rehearse that with God. And maybe that means in the things that happened today, where could I have trusted God more? Is there something that happened that I took that upon myself and didn't keep that focus on God?

What could I have done differently? I could do that every night. It doesn't take forever to do that, but take a few moments to reflect on that. And then maybe at the end of the week, here we are Friday night, the week's coming to the end, the Sabbath is here. Well, I could think about that. So did I build faith and trust and confidence in God throughout this week? You know, did I really consider the character of Jesus Christ? Did I take steps forward in that obedience to God? I think those are powerful questions that we can ask ourselves. And really, nobody else can answer those questions for us. You know, those are ones that were responsible before God in considering those various things. And I think if we really think of the practical application of God's way, that we're going to follow Him even when things are fuzzy, even when things are uncertain, we're going to focus on Him even though we're faced with the challenges and the hardships, and we're going to look to what really lasts and what's forever. And then we're going to think about those things, and we're going to consider those things, and we're going to ask ourselves questions to really begin to recognize, all right, some of these things we're going to say, I did. I handled that in a godly way. I relied on God in that because that's the great thing about quizzes. It tells you what you know, which is great. Okay, well, there's a couple of things. Maybe I could have done that better. And you can ask God, help me to see it, help me to recognize that. And I believe He will. He will. And as we think about that idea of stepping out in faith, I heard an amazing story about a little girl named Grace. And it came to pass that one day Grace was playing with her toys, this little girl, and the house had caught on fire. And she's up in her second-story bedroom as this house begins to burn. Everybody else had run out and the smoke is blinding her. She's beginning to choke. The flames are kind of burning, beginning to get closer and closer. And little Grace crawls to the window. And she was able to open the window, and she's crying and coughing and unable to see anything through the smoke and just the thickness of all this remains of this fire that's been going on. And then as she's at the window on the second story, not sure what to do, she hears a voice down below, Grace, it's Daddy. I'm right here.

Jump. She couldn't see him. She could hear him. She only had his word. Because the fire and the smoke blocked her vision, and that fear, it wouldn't let go. It was just gripping her heart. But she heard that voice, jump, Grace! I got you! So trembling, tears running down her face, she did the only thing she should do. She jumped right into her father's arms. And she fell safely.

That's faith. That's faith. Because I know life has brought all of us in many ways, those fires, the fires of uncertainty, those fires of fear and darkness and confusion, and sometimes it hurts, it's painful. And maybe we don't see God clearly. Yet, what is He calling out to us?

Trust me, I've got you. I've got you. So as we think about that, you know, whether it's the hiker on the the foggy mountain, or the marathon runner, or Grace jumping into her father's arms. Faith, it's not about what we physically see. It's about who we trust, who we trust. Because we can take that next step. Even when the outcome is hidden, Moses endured as seeing Him who is invisible. Abraham was absolutely fully convinced that God was going to do what He promised. Job trusted him when he was grieving and sick. The centurion believed without any proof whatsoever. Now it's our turn. Now it's our turn. Where is God calling you to trust Him? Even when you can't see what's ahead. Maybe it's a storm, or maybe it's quiet, maybe it's in a decision, or maybe it's a long prayed prayer that you just haven't got the answer yet. But through it all, what is God saying? Trust me, I got you. And so our faith responds that, okay, I don't see it yet, but I know He sees it all.

I don't feel it now, but I know He is good. And I might not understand the why, but I trust God, the one who holds the how. So don't lose heart. Faith is our anchor. It holds us steady through the uncertainty, through the fear, through the hardship. And so each choice that we make, we can choose to honor God, we can choose to obey His Word, we can choose to take one faithful step at a time that moves us even closer to the fulfillment of His promises. And yeah, the world's going to tell us, I got to see it to believe it.

But God says, believe it, and then you will see it. So let's walk by faith. Let's trust Him, and let's go forward, and we can watch the invisible become visible.