Some people will not believe a report or idea unless they can see the proof with their own eyes. Yet, the root of faith is to trust in what we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1). There is a fine line between the reality of this world, and the reality of the spiritual, eternal world.
We can cross over that line whenever we trust God enough to care for us in this faith walk. We learn to expect God’s truth to be even more real than any fact in this earthly realm. One Bible story that encourages me to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7-9) is the one about the priests stepping into the water before it opened a path for the Israelites (Joshua 3:13).
When we expect positive outcomes, even when there is no earthly way that this can happen, we step over the line into faith in the unseen. This is part of spiritual maturity and is a great way to live with constant peace and joy. The material no longer discourages us, because our focus is on God’s faithfulness.
We do not quote scripture at God in order to force His hand to give us His blessings. We simply wait on Him; and in His timing and way, He meets our needs according to His perfect will. His provision may not be what we wanted or expected, but it is so much better than our mind could ever conceive (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Having hope in the unseen can give us improved mental, physical and emotional health as well. Dwelling on the positive rather than attempting to change the negative is a small adjustment that pays huge dividends. Our new perspective heals us in spirit, soul and body.
An attitude of gratitude for what we do have, rather than constantly wanting what we do not have will mature us spiritually and give us a deepening peace within our soul. Appreciating God’s provision makes us joyful and ready to receive more when He is ready to bless us.
Prayer:
Father God, remind us that we can only support others as we allow You to bless us, and we want to make a priority of meeting our own needs rather than waiting on someone else to do it. As You fill our cup of blessings, it will overflow on those we contact each day. Help us not to neglect our own needs in our service to others, but to include our self in our daily list of people to which we show care.
Remind us that healthy eating, sleeping, having fun, playing with family and friends, relaxing, being creative, and exercising will all help us to increase our hopeful, grateful and optimistic thoughts and feelings. Heal us of the negative “self” talk in our mind. Help us to focus on Your Word to encourage us and to give us life (Hebrews 4:12-13).
Thought for the Day:
Medical research proves that hope strengthens our immune system, heart, survival rate in critical medical illnesses, lowers inflammation that causes pain and infection, and gives us a more fulfilling life with a deeper sense of well-being and joy; focusing on Biblical promises can retrain our brain to meditate on positive aspects rather than negative ones, which reduces our fear, worry and stress levels and increases our healing and serenity.
- Philippians 4:8
