You Have to Believe It to See It
By Rick Warren
“Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
Faith is visualizing the future. It’s believing before you see it. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (NIV).
How will you see what’s happening in your life through eyes of faith?
A lot of people say, “I’ll believe it when I see it!” God says the exact opposite is true: “You will see it when you first believe it.” There are many things in life that have to be believed before they can be seen.
In 1961, the Soviet Union sent the first cosmonaut into space. When the cosmonaut returned to earth, the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev declared they’d been to space and didn’t see any god there.
About 10 months later, the U.S. sent John Glenn into space. He circled the earth three times on his Mercury mission, came back down, and told the world, “I saw God everywhere! I saw his glory in the galaxy. I saw his splendor in the universe. I saw his majesty in the stars.”
Which one was right? They both were. Jesus said, “Unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3 NLT). Before there is spiritual transformation in your life, you’re too narrow-minded to see the possibility of what God wants to do in your life.
Wernher von Braun, the leading scientist in the early stages of the U.S. space program, said, “There has never been any great accomplishment in history without faith.”
It is faith that causes the scientist to believe that we can put a man on the moon. It is faith that causes an architect to design a building because, first, they believe it can be done. It is faith that causes an Olympic athlete to practice and go to the Olympic trials because they believe they can achieve it. It is faith that causes a sculptor or an artist to believe that they can paint a picture or attempt the sculpture. Someone has to believe it before we see it.
You can trust God’s promises and his work in your life. Believe in God’s love and care and guidance as you face whatever he has given you today. Believe it, and you will see it.
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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