Dealing With Doubt, Doubt, Prayer, Trust, Words of Endurance

God’s invisibility guarantees I will experience times of doubt.
PHILIP YANCEY (REACHING FOR THE INVISIBLE GOD)

Is it really necessary to see something with our eyes before we can believe it exists? Many of us would answer with a wholehearted “Yes!” Yet when we stop to think about it, much of what we do every day is in response to forces, influences, and realities that we cannot see. Consider this brief slice of life for example:
• Even as I ponder the concept of believing in what we cannot see, gravity holds me fast to the seat of my chair.
• As the sunlight streams through my office window, I fight off the urge to nap – an urge that is prompted by the unseen, yet very effective, radiant warmth of the sun.
• In an effort to stay awake, I walk into the kitchen to warm up my tea by the invisible energy of my microwave.
• As I wait, I glance out the window. For a moment the beautiful dance of the pine trees distracts me. Their dance is powered by the wind of a coming storm that is not yet visible on the horizon.
• As I consider the approaching storm, my heart becomes heavy with concern. Motivated by the invisible power of a mother’s love, I wonder when my children will return home safe and sound.

My afternoon of pondering has not answered my question, but it has led me to the undeniable conclusion that we not only are capable of believing in what we cannot see, but that we must believe. We can’t see the ultraviolet radiation of the sun but we believe in it enough to put on sunscreen. We can’t see gravity but we believe in it enough that we don’t attempt to fly without mechanical assistance. Yes, it can be difficult to believe in a God we cannot see. But if we can’t see the most powerful forces in our universe that influence our life every day, why are we surprised that we can’t see God, the powerful creator of those forces? Perhaps we can take comfort in the knowledge that God’s invisibility is evidence of His power. We want and need a powerful God. As a friend of mine says, “If God were small enough for our minds, He wouldn’t be big enough for our needs!”

Declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
ISAIAH 55:8-9

On the journey with you,
Jan Dravecky