Seeing the Invisible

The other day I had to replace the headlight on Robin’s truck. UGH! I am amazed at how just four little screws can be such a test of faith! It doesn’t help that I have these huge fingers that have no mechanical ability at all. Nevertheless, with screwdriver, pliers and sledgehammer, (just kidding) I went to work. While I was attempting to put one of the screws back into place it fell through the backside of the grill into and past the engine compartment. It must have hit twenty things before it fell into silence. And out of sight as well! UGH! Oh, did I tell you that I was working on it in the dirt driveway? “Well, that screw is history. I’ll never find that thing amongst the grass and stones.” I wasn’t even sure it landed underneath the truck! Then I remembered this magnet that I have hanging in the garage for just these purposes. With magnet in hand, I crouched down under the truck, estimated the approximant area where it could have landed, took account for wind velocity, rotation of the earth, gravitational pull… just kidding. I just waved that magnet close to the ground where I thought it might have landed. Voila! The screw fastened to that magnet like a lost child finding its mother’s arms! Despite all this tomfoolery, God broke into this whole scenario with one quick lesson. He said, “Did you notice that the magnet was more useful than your eyes in this situation? The magnet helped you find what your eyes couldn’t see.” That is exactly what faith does for the believer. Faith is like a magnet and God is like the lost screw! “That’s so cool, Lord.” I thought. “But You’re not lost.”
No, God is not lost. But during some times He seems to hide Himself, doesn’t He? Isaiah said,
“Truly God, You are a God who hides Himself.” David lamented, “Why. O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” And then, Satan has a way to jump right in there with doubt and fear. Two things that will destroy faith! Well, Beloved, My Bible says, “Behold, I am with you always.” It will take more than our eyes to see God within our circumstances during times of trial. It will take faith. You see, God does not reveal Himself in the circumstances of our lives. God reveals Himself through His Word! Then, through faith in that Word, we can see God’s intervention in the circumstances of our lives! That’s how it works! The Bible says that, by faith, Moses regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than all the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. He persevered because he saw him who is invisible! So, let us fix our eyes on not what is seen but rather what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal!
Have a great week!
Pastor Jim
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