Please note: This post is from our old blog and was written around 2008. I believe it is still relevant TODAY, amidst all the crisis we are undergoing this month with the COVID-19 Flu shutdown.
The other day when I was doing my meditations, I had an interesting idea come to mind. My assignment for the day was Hebrews 11:1.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. “
On the word substance, my margin referenced Romans 8: 24, which says, “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?” After that reference was listed II Corinthians 4:18 which says, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
I will confess to needing breaks from looking at the news, but I am trying to understand where our culture is going or perhaps gone, and trying to understand how 93 million people can be unemployed and function on their own personal economy, much less what that implies for the national economy. [Remember this was written in 2008.] Actually, it appears hopeless. We often look to this life for some measure of security or evidence of stability, and it does look hopeless. Our world is in one big mess. Totally depressing.
Then I realized my error. I am looking at the wrong things. In fact, the LOOKING was the problem. You know the sarcastic expression: “Move along now, nothing to see here.” Well it is true, if you are walking by faith…there is NOTHING TO SEE HERE.
I had been caught in the trap old as the garden of Eden: “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, …” you know the rest of the story. Eve ate the forbidden fruit and convinced Adam to eat it, and their eyes were opened. They began to see things they were never intended to see, and lost their fellowship with God. As believers and part of the body of Christ, we have plenty to be busy about, but looking around at hopeless stuff is not one of them. Christ is the head of the body, and if we are to be looking, we need to look through his eyes. Our faith can not be seen. There is no evidence for it here in this life. We must keep our hope in eternal unseen things, and trust God. If we could SEE what we hope in, what need would there be for hope?
There really is nothing to see here as stated in Hebrews 11:3: “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which were seen were not made of things which do appear.” This is the brick wall science runs into by explaining origins of life from the things which we see. As the word of God began life, it will also continue it eternally for better or for worse depending on your relationship with Jesus Christ the Creator. [ My comment today: I believe it is necessary to stay informed of current events, but your rarely get any real true reporting. Just nuggets of fact here and there. I have found that when what I see around me is disturbing my peace, I use my eyes to read the scriptures, which refocuses my understanding, settles my mind, and helps me to get a better perspective of my purpose to be here, and God’s purpose for this world. Hope this helps you as well. ]