Living for things unseen

When we pray for God to increase our faith, He puts us in situations in which we need to fully rely on Him. It has been my prayer that my faith would be strengthened. I know my lack of faith holds me back from totally surrendering to God and serving Him.

Hebrews 11:1—“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Faith is a difficult concept for me to grasp. I like things that are predictable. I like to plan. I like to be in control. My desire to control my life reflects my lack of faith.

Faith goes against a lot of what society teaches us. The world tells us to put our trust in things that are proven and concrete. However, these things are only temporary. 2 Corinthians 4:18 says, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Hebrew 11 reminds us that we don’t always see the “results” of our faith. This passage tells the story of a number of important biblical figures and their journey of faith. Many of them never saw God’s promises fulfilled during their lifetime, yet they trusted in God’s will for their lives. They risked their lives, sacrificed comforts, and suffered ridicule- despite the fact they would never see the product of their faith. Sometimes, we just need to trust God- even if it doesn’t make sense by the world’s standards. We need to have faith because that is what He calls us to do- not because we want something in return.

God has answered my prayer. He has put me in a position that requires me to trust Him. We don’t always understand why things happen the way they do. It is difficult for me to understand why He would call me to Gabon and then allow me to be sick. Sometimes we don’t know why He does things- and we may never know. Although it may not be clear to us now, everything happens for a reason- we just need to have faith.

I have been learning a lot about faith from the Gabonese. They are on fire for Christ and it is apparent that their sole desire is to bring glory to God. It has been encouraging to me to meet so many believers who are living out their faith- not just on Sundays- but everyday. Their joy is contagious. Their lives are a reflection of Christ, and they have challenged me to live with a greater passion for Christ. I am so grateful for the chance to come to Gabon. God has been teaching me so much about Himself through the people here!