{"id":5979,"date":"2022-08-21T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-21T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.barbdahlgren.com\/?p=5979"},"modified":"2022-08-05T17:32:43","modified_gmt":"2022-08-05T22:32:43","slug":"what-we-cannot-see","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/?p=5979","title":{"rendered":"What We Cannot See"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It Is Good to Be Thankful: Appreciation makes the world a better place\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The first time I went to LA in the 60s for a short visit, the smog was so bad I could not see the mountains. People said, \u201cOh yes, there are mountains there!\u201d I didn\u2019t believe them. I mean, I really, really, really didn\u2019t believe they were there. But one day it cleared up and I was amazed when I saw the mountains.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is when I learned a valuable lesson. Just because we can\u2019t see or feel something doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not there. Even though there may be times we can\u2019t feel God\u2019s presence, that doesn\u2019t mean He\u2019s not there helping, guiding, and protecting us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some think that in order to accept something, we need to see it with our own eyes. Only then will they believe. However, with spiritual principles sometimes we need to believe, then our eyes are opened so we can see.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is much we can\u2019t physically see but need to believe in. Moses understood this. He forsook Egypt, enduring the wrath of the Pharaoh because he saw God who is invisible. In other words, he knew God was there. Just because we can\u2019t see something doesn\u2019t mean it isn\u2019t there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elisha knew this. When the nation of Aram was ready to attack, Elisha\u2019s servant could plainly see they were surrounded by Aram\u2019s horses and chariots. He thought it was just him and Elisha against the world, so he ran to Elisha saying, \u201cWhat are we going to do?\u201d Elisha said, \u201cDo not fear. Those that are with us are more than those who surround us.\u201d Then Elisha asked God to open the eyes of his servant\u2014the servant could then see that the mountains were full of God\u2019s horses, an army of angels, and chariots of fire. (2 Kings 6:16-17)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We as Christians cannot afford to just rely on what we can see. That\u2019s what the children of Israel did. They were primarily influenced by what they could see instead of trusting in the invisible, eternal God. They lived an up and down existence because their faith was dependent on their circumstances. When God delivered them, they believed. When discomfort came, they didn\u2019t believe. (Psalm 106:12-15)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christians who are preoccupied with external influences are destined to live an inconsistent life. Up one day, down the next. If the sun is shining, they\u2019re happy. If it\u2019s raining, they are sad. They are unable to see God in everything. They can\u2019t see God behind the smog of circumstances. Just because we can\u2019t see the mountains doesn\u2019t mean they aren\u2019t there. I\u2019m so thankful God is always there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*****<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord..<\/em>.\u201d ~ Psalms 92:1 (KJV)<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It Is Good to Be Thankful: Appreciation makes the world a better place\u2026 The first time I went to LA in the 60s for a short visit, the smog was so bad I could not see the mountains. People said, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5979"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5979\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}