Faith in Unseen

Romans 15:11 - "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Two weeks ago I flew out to Oregon for a Snowboarders and Skiers for Christ Conference. 

My seat was right next to the window and within a few minutes into the flight, I was gazing out the window to unknown territory. We were enveloped by gray and moody clouds. 

If you know me personally, you know I experienced a TBI two years ago that still continues to plague me whenever I'm sleep deprived or stressed. I also just gave birth 4 months ago to our third born, so I've had a lot of flare ups of symptoms in the last few months. Looking out the window, I thought to myself, "this is exactly what my brain feels like a lot of the time - knowing I'm going somewhere, but not really knowing where I am." 

I was immediately reminded of Hebrews 11:1, which reads "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." 

The beauty of a relationship with Christ is we don't need to "see" - for we can have confidence in a God who loved us so much to send His Son to die and rise from the grave for us. Faith is not in what we can see - nor in what we can understand.

There are some struggles that persist - will we trust God though we don't know why? Will we trust God though they continue?

Not only did God give His One and Only Son so we can have confidence in His love for us, but He leads us to abundant life by trusting in Him. Psalm 16:11 says, "You make known to me the paths of life; you fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." 

Scripture also reminds us that those who put their hope in Him will have their strength renewed, that they will soar (d)! 

We don't have to "see." We don't have to understand. God leads us to abundant life and provides the strength we need despite our struggles.