Seeing the Unseen

Hebrews 11:1,3

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”

I love this quote from Graham Cooke’s The Faith Series. "Faith is action. It is stepping out towards what God has shown you is yours in the invisible realm. If we believe, then we must make an action consistent with that belief. So faith is an external action based upon an internal belief."

While the focus of both Hebrews 11:1,3 and Graham’s statement is the importance of faith as to what we believe and how we act on that belief, there is also a key element that we often overlook that is also an essential ingredient to the will of God manifested in our life. Faith is activated by what we see in the spiritual realm. It is the evidence or the ability to see and bring into reality things not seen. Faith is not a leap into the unknown. It is stepping out towards what God has shown you is yours in the invisible realm.

So, we may have faith but fail to receive because we lack godly vision. Many times our faith is driven by what we see in the natural and what we desire in the natural. We are not laying claim to the invisible but the visible. Our spiritual vision can become clouded by the constant visual bombardment of the world causing us to attempt by faith to lay claim to what the world has to offer rather than what God has to offer.

Paul, who in 2 Corinthians 4:7-17 encourages us to walk in faith in the midst of the challenges we face in life, concludes in verse 18 by saying, “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.” We must refocus our vision, faith, and actions off of the temporary, material, chaotic, decaying world we live in and begin to see what God sees and respond as God would have us respond.

Colossians 3:1-4 says, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind (or affection) on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” May you see Jesus as you never have before and find Him to be all that you need.

Andy Clark