There are so many different things to see when you go for a drive in the country. I enjoy the wildflowers lining the roadsides this time of the year. There are farm tractors and equipment out in the fields. There are people picking berries and peas and beans. Children on summer holidays are playing in or exploring their yards. And often a dog is joining in the fun. Horses or cows are deciding what their priorities are for the day. You may see a red winged blackbird balancing on a slender stalk in the ditch. In the bright blue sky there can be billowy clouds creating intriguing scenes. Inevitably, there will be new homes being built. Multiple vehicles will be met along the way or will sit parked in driveways. Yes, so much to see all around us. How do you respond to the Scripture, ”So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (II Corinthians 4;18) With all the sights for our eyes to see and our minds to process, we recognize that everything we see is temporary. We are being reminded that we need to fix our eyes on what is unseen. Why? It is because what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. We find pleasure in what we can see and enjoy here and now, but our faith leads us to the understanding that there is much more than what we can presently see. What is unseen, the things of God, is what is eternal and lasts forever. Prayer can assist us in fixing our eyes on what is unseen. It will affect how we spend our time and to what we give our attention each day. Please join us again this week for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow July 21st at 1 pm.
Our God we thank You that through this gift of prayer, we can fix our eyes on what is unseen. We cannot see You with our eyes but we have discovered that we can trust You and we can commit ourselves to following You always. We are grateful for this world in which we live and look for meaning and desire to know You in deeper ways. It is a miracle that You chose to reveal Your unseen Self to us through Your Son Jesus. Thank You for all that You are and for the possibility of discovering more and more of You by faith. Thank You that although unseen, You are not unknown or unknowable to us. Our God we consider all around us that is temporary. We admit that sometimes we invest so much of ourselves in what will not last. In the process of aging, we recognize that our bodies are not designed to last. The hopes and dreams that we cling to do not last either. In these moments our God, we are inviting You to show us what it is that You want us to know of what is unseen. We sense that You offer so much more than what we search for with our limited vision. We do not want to settle for less than all you intend for us in Your unseen realm. You are a God of holy mystery and we want to keep finding You on this journey of faith. With what we do see now in our world, there are many realities that cause us concern. We want to think that we are moving through and past this pandemic, but we know that there is still reason for caution. Sometimes we wonder if we will ever really feel safe again. We are praying that we will find our safety in You. When multiple disasters are occurring and there is widespread evidence of despair, we want to keep our eyes fixed on You God. When evidence of shallow, selfish motives, are rampant we want to gaze higher to where You reside. When we are disappointed with our own complacency or unwillingness to take risks for the sake of Your kingdom, we pray that You would turn our attention to You. It is a remarkable thing to consider all that you are accomplishing and arranging that we cannot see but can know is the building of Your unseen and eternal plan. Thank You God that inwardly we are being renewed day by day and that your persistent unseen purposes are taking shape. When we can’t yet glimpse what You are doing, we want to keep seeking You. When we feel weighed down with the cares of this life, we want to keep remembering that Who You are and what You are doing persists although unseen. In every decision we make, we crave an awareness of You. Please guide us in releasing our pursuit of what we think will most benefit us and fix our eyes on what will most please You. God this is such a different way of living than what we see displayed everywhere around us. Please fill us with the courage required to live with Your eternal perspective as our inspiration. In Jesus’ Name. AMEN.