From the time God “didn’t show off” ~ a lesson learned about walking by faith. Do you feel left out? All around you see evidence of others’ answered prayers but it feels like God is distant from you.

On the first morning of a family vacation to the North Carolina coast, I awoke to find my husband and my baby were missing. They had beat me to the beach and were playing in the water.

Above them, “the blue” was beginning to transition from grey to shades of pink and orange as the sun hinted at its arrival. And when it did make its appearance, we were not disappointed. The sky was ablaze with God’s majesty, proclaiming His handiwork.

“God’s just showing off. Because He can,”
reverberated in my mind.

 

We took a morning walk along the beach after breakfast and I snapped pictures of others’ footprints, noticing how quickly they disappeared once the tide reached the imprint. We built a family sand castle and then returned to sit and watch the ocean reclaim the building materials later that afternoon. And the day ended with yet another firmament on fire. It was a glorious day.

 

 

Twice that day I stood on the beach, toes in the sand, and worshipped. My heart was full and so aware of God’s presence and His power. Worries from the previous few weeks seemed to follow the pattern of those footprints ~ washed away. Both morning and evening, I filled my phone with photos. Way too many photos.

 

 

I woke up even earlier the next morning with a plan. My husband and I took chairs and the thermal carafe of coffee to the shore. I would savor every moment of sunrise and linger. We positioned ourselves to wait.

But this morning was different. Clouds had moved in.
No pinks. No orange. No sky on fire. No showing off.
The clouds were so thick we couldn’t see the sun ball at all.
The sun still rose, but there was no evidence beyond the diffused light.

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Reflecting on the time God didn’t “show off”

I don’t have pictures to show from that morning. They didn’t inspire clicks.
There was no breathtaking commentary.
But as I sat there staring at the drab — yet enlightened — horizon, I pondered what it illustrated about faith.

The same sun that rose the day before had risen on that morning, even though I couldn’t see it. I was confident.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen.”
(Hebrews 11:1)

The same God who had “shown off the night before” was on His throne that dull morning. No doubt.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
(Hebrews 13:8)

The lack of wonder in His creation didn’t cause me to wonder if He still cared about His child. I was certain.

“How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
    I awake, and I am still with you.
(Psalm 139:17-18)

We will all have times in life when it feels like God didn’t “show off” and is distant or unconcerned with the details of our lives. In those times, here are three truths we can know for certain, even when the light stays behind the clouds.

[x_custom_headline type=”center” level=”h1″ looks_like=”h2″ accent=”false”]3 Truths when it seems God is distant[/x_custom_headline]

1. What is known cannot trump what is seen

We have no problem reconciling the shifting seasons and unpredictable weather with a God who never changes. But when the storms of life move in or the days of gray skies linger longer than we like ~ well, that can sometimes be a challenge.

Why is that?

• I think we sometimes confuse “showing off” with “showing up.”

• We begin to base our faith on the evidence of answered prayers instead of the promise of a God who hears.

• We let our emotions and experiences tell the story in our head instead of defining the narrative with the truth of God’s Word.

But when it comes to faith:
What is seen (or not seen)
cannot trump what is known.

There is no substitute for Scripture – not even the sense of God’s presence, the power we feel when we pray, or the times when He provides an answer in an unmistakable way.
Those are glorious blessings of walking in faith, but there will be times that walking by faith means simply stepping from one promise to another in God’s Word.

When all is stripped away,
one thing remains.
“The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.”
(Isaiah 40:8)

2. Answered prayers are a blessing, not a cornerstone of faith

We naturally gravitate toward, record, and recount painted sky moments. The #blessed #nofilter instagram-worthy images and occasions.

There’s nothing wrong with those and celebrating answered prayers is good. Doing so causes us to reflect on God’s providence in our lives and give Him glory for all that is praiseworthy.

In today’s world, we have countless mediums and platforms to share the good news of healed bodies, saved souls, and restored relationships.

But defining whether or not
God is hearing us
by looking for the evidence
of His working
can morph into another form of
walking by sight.

If those times of empirical evidence become the source for determining if God “showed up,” then we are building sandcastles in the sand.

The cornerstone of salvation is Jesus himself and the building blocks of our faith must be His Word. Period.

Dear reader, this message is one I have lived to write about.
During a season of trials and setbacks, my prayers were seemingly answered with, “Cricket. Cricket.” I cried out to God and blasted praise music like it was a can of Lysol. Nothing.

So that brings me to the last truth.

3. The Word will sustain even when other spiritual experiences fail.

I was left with this question: “Is His Word enough?” God’s Word had to sustain me when other spiritual experiences seemingly failed me. And The Word didn’t fail.

But it was through that experience of being pruned from answered prayers that the roots of my faith stretched deeper.
It was an unexpected experience.

Prior to that time of life, I never would have thought of answered prayers as being a crutch and a hindrance to growth. But in hindsight I understand. And sitting on that beach, I saw the lesson in pictures.

I cannot put my trust
in the painted sky.
I can only appreciate its beauty.
Faith must be settled in the light,
even when it stays behind the clouds.

The same is true for you.
You may be in a time of trials.
It may seem that God is distant.
Maybe you are being tested by God or attacked by Satan. You may be even fighting your own flesh.

It may feel like God doesn’t hear your prayers or care about your pain. All around you see evidence of others’ answered prayers and wonder if you’ve been left out.

Despite the way it seems.
Regardless of the way you feel.
Scripture cuts through the darkness with the light of truth. And on those days, weeks, months or even years when you can’t see the color, you can still see the light.

Return to the Light

Return to the source and lean into the Word.
The Word is The Light.
Light itself began with God’s words (Gen. 1:3).
Jesus is both (John 1:1-4).

Get into the Word.

Start with Psalm 139 and if you need help studying the Bible, see my recommendation at the end.

And be assured:

The light will NOT fail you
and the Word WILL sustain you.

Even if it doesn’t seem like
God is “showing off” in your life,
know this:
He has never failed to SHOW UP.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Faith is NOT based on the evidence of answered prayers but on the promise of a God who hears” quote=”Faith is NOT based on the evidence of answered prayers but on the promise of a God who hears”]

[clickToTweet tweet=”Sometimes walking by faith means simply stepping from one promise to another in God’s Word” quote=”Sometimes walking by faith means simply stepping from one promise to another in God’s Word”]]

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