Evidence for the Invisible
In which Brent realizes proving the invisible means holding such things in highest esteem
The Pun
The Prayer
A favorite book of mine is 'The Little Prince'. In it French author Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote:
"L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux."
This means very little to most people because most people do not speak French. But if they did, they would know that, translated, it is a rather deep quote meaning:
"What is essential is invisible to the eye"
Indeed, the best things of all are unseen:
God, His rule, and His Kingdom Justice and fairness Character, morality Honor and glory Grace, mercy, Forgiveness and redemption. Relationships, love, Affirmation, encouragement Generosity, and goodness Blessings of joy, comfort, Peace and contentment. Truth, knowledge, wisdom, Clarity and counsel
The Christian faith is one which elevates the invisible things as essential. And when I live as though these things are of primary importance, I am walking by faith:
“... for we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)
The world and the weak in faith place lesser value on these veiled yet valuable things because they desire evidence. The good news is that I am not empty handed when proof is demanded. The evidence I can best give is a life lived as though the invisible was as real as anything:
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)
When I take God's promises for the future at face value and live as though He and what He has said is true, it should create a life that is inexplicable unless the unseen were real. It caused Moses to leave Egypt because he feared the invisible God more than the very viciously visible Pharaoh. Moses's choices made no earthly sense, yet they became a heavenly evidence to the nations that the Lord was real when the plagues came and the Red Sea parted;
“By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.” (Hebrews 11:27)
Believing in God's justice and judgement, even though it has not been displayed fully, also leads to a morally different way of living. Instead of acting based on what seems right to my eyes, I begin to live according to the Almighty's perspective:
““You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes, for you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance that the LORD your God is giving you.” (Deuteronomy 12:8-9)
Living a true life of faith leads me to make decisions that appear to not be in my best interest. These choices cause immediate pain that would only makes sense if there were an unseen reward to be gained in so doing:
“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 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 4:17-18)
Living in faith leads me to living in unaccountable joy in the present even though gifts of future grace are yet to be received. After all, the promises of God are richly generous resulting in eternal life and if I truly believe them to be true, they ought to produce an unconquerable case of giddiness:
“Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8-9)
To have this kind of joyful hope is attractive. Most are thirsty for something sure to hope in yet too afraid to take a leap of faith. But when I act as though God's guarantees are as good and done and as though the abstract things were concrete and when God blesses that walk, it plants the thought in others that maybe hope is a possibility:
“For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (Romans 8:24-25)
Risking the bird in the hand for the two in the bush is pleasing to God. If there is anything about me that might bring pleasure to Him, it is when I let go of a sure grasp on the things of earth to lovingly leap into the greater, more essential things of heaven. It brings glory to Him and attests to the world that there is a powerful, loving God worth trusting:
... but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” (Hebrews 10:38-39)