Do you struggle with seeing an unseen God? For this week’s Firmly Rooted Friday post, Claudia shares with us some ways we adjust our vision to see his hand at work.
Seeing God Even When He is Unseen
“As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:18 ESV
We homeschooled our 3 Dufflings which is really code for “they were always with us,” and I loved every minute of it, even the hard ones. We have shared laughter, moments of forgiveness and sometimes really profound moments that shaped us as a family.
This ain’t one of those moments.
I got together with a couple of families and we hired an art teacher to come and teach some very cool art lessons and then she taught them to paint. Doing the grand revealing of their masterpieces I was stunned to silence when I saw one of my Duffling’s paintings. Stunned to silence because it was like nothing I have ever seen. This large piece of paper was covered in big sloppy drops of red paint and I think there was a tree and a sun in the sky.
Once I regained my speech, I asked the Duffling, “OK, what is it?” The reply, “an invisible dinosaur that stepped in red paint.” I promise you I am not making this up. I wish I could tell you I had the proper response of gushing over the creativity of this painting, but I did not. And I wanted a refund because I felt cheated. I could have taught this Duffling how to paint invisible dinosaurs while cooking dinner. I’d been robbed!
Or was I?
The Word of God proclaims that as believers seeing the unseen hand of God should be our daily pursuit. To become a believer in Christ you must believe in the one true God, one you have never seen. But, there are blotches of red paint all over our lives. We can actually see the unseen because we believe. If you sit and read the Bible from Genesis to the conclusion of Revelation you will absolutely see the unseen.
“The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lighted up the world; the earth trembled and shook. Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”
Psalm 77:18-20 ESV
When God delivered the children of Israel, He did it with a shout, not a whisper. Their deliverance shook the earth, even the sea rolled back. I believe God longs to do those things in our everyday lives, we need only to ask and then to actually look and see. I often feel this type of shaking when I am desperately seeking God about a situation in my life or in the lives of those I pray for.
No Game of Hide and Seek
Now when I say, “desperately seeking God,” it’s not because he is hiding. I am desperately seeking him because my spirit is in need. There is no divine game of hide and seek with God. He never moves or even shifts. He is always right where we left him, waiting for us to return.
“By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”
Hebrews 11:7 ESV
Can you even imagine one of your neighbors building an ark on the top of a mountain because he thought there was going to be a flood? I can’t. It was a foolish notion and made absolutely no sense. But, that’s what our God is all about, confounding us by proving again and again that he is God almighty the creator of the entire universe. We need to stand in awe of his daily display of his glory. Paying attention is our largest weakness as people of faith. We forget to look and see and become amazed by our amazing God.
Adjust Our Vision, Lord
It is a daily struggle to see the unseen hand of God because our lives are cluttered with all the things that we can see. Battling the commissary lines on payday. PCS orders to somewhere we never wanted to go. Another deployment that puts our family on opposite continents. Chores and children that need tending. Service members struggling with suicide and depression.
Adjust our vision, Lord! Help us to look deeper, believe deeper, and expect greatness from you. How can I do this when there is a veil of grief over my heart because I have lost someone I truly loved and I am not sure if I can ever catch my breath again? How can I see God when a betrayal breaks my heart?
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Can you see him?
The one who loves you deeply and has promised to rescue you. The one who chose the cross to save you. And the one who always knew there would be a betrayal. Look for him today. See him as he grips the broken pieces and mends your heart. This week look for the red splotches of God in your everyday life. He’s right there waiting to be seen. Meet me back here next week as we dig into the Word of God looking for the joy of an unseen God.
<>< Claudia
Firmly Rooted!
For more ways to see God at work in our military lives, visit the Planting Roots Resources page.
