Saturday, December 17, 2016

Saturday December 17 The Unseen Things

For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 
For many of us, perhaps even most of us, our troubles seem anything but small or brief. Health challenges...loss of a loved one...financial need...broken relationships...wayward children...unemployment. Or just disappointment.  All of these loom large not small before us. And as our prayers seem to go unanswered as weeks turn to months and months to years it becomes very hard to hear that they won't last long. Jesus warns his disciples“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NIV  Trouble in this earthly realm is a promise from God. Not one we care to cash in on but a promise nonetheless.  That is exactly why Paul tells us to look beyond what we can see with our eyes to the unseen things. We cannot see the love of God,  but in a thousand ways, small and large He demonstrates that love for us especially through the act of sending Jesus. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 NIV  While our lifetime, in our eyes, seems to be forever, we know that it is a mere speck of eternity. Perhaps this is why Mary, a young girl faced with personal ruin, was able to answer back with a song. Forever is a long time to collect the returns on the investment of a single lifetime. Hold fast to that promise and see beyond what is before you to the unseen joy of eternity.

Prayer
Almighty and eternal God, please give us eyes to see this world for what it is: a brief temporary stop on our way to our forever home with You. When we feel overwhelmed by our troubles here and now, remind us, we pray, that Jesus has already gone ahead to prepare a place for us of unceasing, neverending peace and joy in a kingdom that will last forever. We ask this in His name. AMEN!

2 comments:

Tim g said...

Trouble in this earthly realm is a promise from God. Not one we care to cash in on but a promise nonetheless
Insightful. Trouble takes on many forms, which you outlined for us, Tracy. And to think that God empathizes with our pain in the midst of toil.

Tracy said...

And it was that very realization...That having been a man on earth in a very human body he truly could empathize, that many years ago changed me from a church attender to a lover of Jesus.