“You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8–9, NLT)
There will be days when your view of God will dim. You may find yourself in the middle of a crisis and unable to see God’s presence near you. Your loss of spiritual connection might occur because of depression. It might feel that God is absent when you’ve lost someone close and are grieving. During moments like these, God's presence might feel elusive. You might not see evidence of God in your day. Your faith might ebb, and you will wonder, “I can’t see God. Is God still close to me? Does God care?”
“Some years ago, a sociologist accompanied a group of mountain climbers on an expedition. Among other things, he observed a distinct correlation between cloud cover and contentment. When there was no cloud cover and the peak was in view, the climbers were energetic and cooperative. When the gray clouds eclipsed the view of the mountaintop, though, the climbers were sullen and selfish.
The same thing happens to us. As long as our eyes are on God’s majesty there is a bounce in our step. But let our eyes focus on the dirt beneath us and we will grumble about every rock and crevice we have to cross.” (Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment, p. 289)
Losing sight of God’s presence in your life can make you feel alone, unloved, despondent. That feeling of overwhelming emptiness can suck the life out of your days. Like those mountain climbers in the story above, when you can’t see your goal, the trek becomes more difficult. Spiritually, when you can’t see God’s place in your life or feel the joy of knowing you are heaven-bound; life can be filled with dark places and lonely spaces. You might feel lost as well as alone.
Hebrews 6:19 calls hope in Jesus and in His resurrection “a sure and steadfast anchor for the soul”. Knowing Jesus, you always have hope in God’s sustenance and providence. God can always reach out into your life and do wonders. However, when God or Heaven get shrouded in doubt and uncertainty, it is easy to slip into depression or sadness, self-loathing or doubt. In those moments, it is important that you seek God. Look for God with all your heart. Read about God in scripture. Pray, asking for God’s presence to be made clearer. Reach out to those who have a strong faith and ask for help. You will again see God. It’s only a matter of time.
In the scripture for today, Peter rejoices with his Christian readers. Though Peter himself was an eyewitness to the risen Jesus, many of Peter’s readers had never seen Jesus alive or resurrected. As Peter thought about this, he penned the words for today: “You love Him (Jesus), even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him” (1 Peter 1:8). Peter goes on to say that not only does he “rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy”, but he believes that this kind of faith in Jesus will result in a reward. Peter is sure that those who trust in Jesus, even when they can’t see the fullness of His glory, will receive a salvation for their souls because of this true faith (1 Peter 1:9). If you have faith in Christ long enough, it will be rewarded. God will bless your search, when true faith is involved.
Though constantly suffering from physical problems, I was able to do some amazing things. When I lived in North Carolina, I worked for months to go on a charity bike ride of forty miles. Most people will never be able to bike that far. In my younger years, I rode well over one hundred miles. But, as I grew older and my physical disability grew worse, I had to give up many things. I could no longer play tennis. I gave up basketball. I walked less and less. However, I found that for many years, I still could ride a bike. My neurosurgeon told me to ride as long as I could. He then warned me, “When you stop riding, I fear your days are numbered and you will soon be in a hospital bed for the rest of your life.” To help me keep my promise to this doctor to remain on my bike as long as possible, I set goals. When living in North Carolina, a charity bike ride was one of my goals. It was a tough goal, but I was determined to do it.
I trained for months, riding my bike in all kinds of weather. I started at four miles, then five, then six, then more. After months, I was up to bicycling twenty-two miles. It was the best I could do for training. I wondered if I’d make the forty-mile trek, though I’d be able to stop every ten miles to rest for a few minutes. It helped knowing my sponsors were highly supportive of my attempt.
When the day of the ride came, I started off with over two hundred riders. At the first checkpoint, most of them were still on their bikes. By the twenty-mile mark, we’d lost a dozen or so riders. I remember passing one guy at mile twenty-nine who was struggling. I told him that we could do it! He looked doubtful but decided to ride behind me. We struggled but tried to encourage one another. Then, a young woman joined us. She had strong legs. We both followed her for ten miles. With only one mile to go, us two older men were struggling. I wanted badly to quit. However, I didn’t. All three of us crossed the finish line together. It was a day I will never forget. It was beautiful.
Later, the man who completed the tour with me said, “I wouldn’t have made it without you. Thanks.” I responded with the same. Both of us found the courage to keep going by working together.
It’s sometimes hard to make it in life when you can’t feel God’s presence beside you. When God’s Holy Spirit feels absent, it can make life’s journey difficult. In moments like that, have faith that you’ll see God again soon. That’s why it’s called “faith”. You need to keep trusting in God, even when God doesn’t feel present around you. God is there. You just can’t see Him well at times.
When God doesn’t feel present and life gets difficult, God will often put another person beside you to lean on during the journey. God will beat down an obstacle or minimize the pain somehow. Look for these signs of God’s presence. They will all help until you see God again. And then, your faith will be rewarded as promised.
Have you seen God working in your life lately? Good! It may be that you will be the perfect companion for someone who is struggling with faith. Have you lost sight of God and find your faith is wavering? Read scripture. Read a good book about God’s providence. Look for a person sent by God to lean on. Look for signs of God’s presence. Look for little ways that God eases the journey. Get excited about Heaven. You do know that Heaven will be your ultimate reward someday, right? Have some faith, will ya!
“Some years ago, a sociologist accompanied a group of mountain climbers on an expedition. Among other things, he observed a distinct correlation between cloud cover and contentment. When there was no cloud cover and the peak was in view, the climbers were energetic and cooperative. When the gray clouds eclipsed the view of the mountaintop, though, the climbers were sullen and selfish.
The same thing happens to us. As long as our eyes are on God’s majesty there is a bounce in our step. But let our eyes focus on the dirt beneath us and we will grumble about every rock and crevice we have to cross.” (Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment, p. 289)
Losing sight of God’s presence in your life can make you feel alone, unloved, despondent. That feeling of overwhelming emptiness can suck the life out of your days. Like those mountain climbers in the story above, when you can’t see your goal, the trek becomes more difficult. Spiritually, when you can’t see God’s place in your life or feel the joy of knowing you are heaven-bound; life can be filled with dark places and lonely spaces. You might feel lost as well as alone.
Hebrews 6:19 calls hope in Jesus and in His resurrection “a sure and steadfast anchor for the soul”. Knowing Jesus, you always have hope in God’s sustenance and providence. God can always reach out into your life and do wonders. However, when God or Heaven get shrouded in doubt and uncertainty, it is easy to slip into depression or sadness, self-loathing or doubt. In those moments, it is important that you seek God. Look for God with all your heart. Read about God in scripture. Pray, asking for God’s presence to be made clearer. Reach out to those who have a strong faith and ask for help. You will again see God. It’s only a matter of time.
In the scripture for today, Peter rejoices with his Christian readers. Though Peter himself was an eyewitness to the risen Jesus, many of Peter’s readers had never seen Jesus alive or resurrected. As Peter thought about this, he penned the words for today: “You love Him (Jesus), even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him” (1 Peter 1:8). Peter goes on to say that not only does he “rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy”, but he believes that this kind of faith in Jesus will result in a reward. Peter is sure that those who trust in Jesus, even when they can’t see the fullness of His glory, will receive a salvation for their souls because of this true faith (1 Peter 1:9). If you have faith in Christ long enough, it will be rewarded. God will bless your search, when true faith is involved.
Though constantly suffering from physical problems, I was able to do some amazing things. When I lived in North Carolina, I worked for months to go on a charity bike ride of forty miles. Most people will never be able to bike that far. In my younger years, I rode well over one hundred miles. But, as I grew older and my physical disability grew worse, I had to give up many things. I could no longer play tennis. I gave up basketball. I walked less and less. However, I found that for many years, I still could ride a bike. My neurosurgeon told me to ride as long as I could. He then warned me, “When you stop riding, I fear your days are numbered and you will soon be in a hospital bed for the rest of your life.” To help me keep my promise to this doctor to remain on my bike as long as possible, I set goals. When living in North Carolina, a charity bike ride was one of my goals. It was a tough goal, but I was determined to do it.
I trained for months, riding my bike in all kinds of weather. I started at four miles, then five, then six, then more. After months, I was up to bicycling twenty-two miles. It was the best I could do for training. I wondered if I’d make the forty-mile trek, though I’d be able to stop every ten miles to rest for a few minutes. It helped knowing my sponsors were highly supportive of my attempt.
When the day of the ride came, I started off with over two hundred riders. At the first checkpoint, most of them were still on their bikes. By the twenty-mile mark, we’d lost a dozen or so riders. I remember passing one guy at mile twenty-nine who was struggling. I told him that we could do it! He looked doubtful but decided to ride behind me. We struggled but tried to encourage one another. Then, a young woman joined us. She had strong legs. We both followed her for ten miles. With only one mile to go, us two older men were struggling. I wanted badly to quit. However, I didn’t. All three of us crossed the finish line together. It was a day I will never forget. It was beautiful.
Later, the man who completed the tour with me said, “I wouldn’t have made it without you. Thanks.” I responded with the same. Both of us found the courage to keep going by working together.
It’s sometimes hard to make it in life when you can’t feel God’s presence beside you. When God’s Holy Spirit feels absent, it can make life’s journey difficult. In moments like that, have faith that you’ll see God again soon. That’s why it’s called “faith”. You need to keep trusting in God, even when God doesn’t feel present around you. God is there. You just can’t see Him well at times.
When God doesn’t feel present and life gets difficult, God will often put another person beside you to lean on during the journey. God will beat down an obstacle or minimize the pain somehow. Look for these signs of God’s presence. They will all help until you see God again. And then, your faith will be rewarded as promised.
Have you seen God working in your life lately? Good! It may be that you will be the perfect companion for someone who is struggling with faith. Have you lost sight of God and find your faith is wavering? Read scripture. Read a good book about God’s providence. Look for a person sent by God to lean on. Look for signs of God’s presence. Look for little ways that God eases the journey. Get excited about Heaven. You do know that Heaven will be your ultimate reward someday, right? Have some faith, will ya!