Seeing the Invisible

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (v. 1)

Planting a garden is an act of hope. When I plant a seed in my garden, I don’t know if we’ll get heavy rain and the seed will be flooded away, or if we’ll have too much heat when the plant is young and it will be scorched, or if the weather will be just perfect for growth.

I also don’t know what will happen to me in the time it takes that seed to grow. I trust that I’ll be around to see it bear fruit. And yet I still plant the seeds. I trust that the rhythms that God breathed into life at creation will continue and that this tiny seed will produce new life.

Our faith in God is also an act of hope. We don’t see God face to face, but we see the evidence of his work in our midst. It’s obvious that everything in the world is not the way God intended it to be, but we can see the rhythms and designs of creation in the world around us.

We see brokenness, but we also see God’s care for us in the love of those around us. We may not see it, but we trust that God is working to reconcile everything back to himself (Col. 1:20). We believe this because God’s Word tells us it’s so. Faith is trusting that God’s Word is true and that God will keep his promises.

As you pray, ask God to help you have faith in him.