Seeing What Can’t Be Seen

Seeing thousands of miles, but not five miles

350 years ago a shipload of pilgrims landed on the northeast coast of America. The first year they established a town site. The next year they elected a town government. The third year the town government planned to build a road five miles westward into the wilderness. In the fourth year the people tried to impeach their town government because they thought it was a waste of public funds to build a road five miles westward, thereby expanding the city. They exclaimed…Who needs to go there anyway? 

The same people who could see three thousand miles across the north Atlantic ocean, were not able to see even five miles out of town. They had lost their vision.

Seeing what can’t be seen

Ever experienced the frustration of not seeing something that somebody else does? Or, the equal frustration of you being able to see something that others can’t? Either side of the equation is annoying. The Apostle Paul experienced this.

The Holy Spirit was showing Paul unbelievable things. He was shown how amazing God’s grace and justification were. He saw how God was had included the Gentiles in His great plans and purposes. But when he told people about what he was seeing, they didn’t get it. So he would say things like…

I pray that your eyes are focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers. (Ephesians 1:18, The Message)

It’s like God was yelling through Paul, “Whoa! Look at that!!!” But He doesn’t impatiently point in the general direction wondering why we’re not seeing it. Instead, He patiently and lovingly directs our attention.

Where there is no vision or prophetic insight, the people lose focus and purpose. (Proverbs 29:18, JHP)

With no spiritual insight of what we can do and/or become in Christ, even the smallest obstacle poses a serious threat to our growth and success. But when God focuses the eyes of our faith through vision and prophetic insight, and begin to see beyond circumstances. We then realize that no obstacle, no matter how big, is too big for God!