I can’t see Him, but I know He is there

Have you ever had something happen in your life that you could not explain, but you knew it was a blessing from God? A door opened that you did not expect. A need was met right when you were about to give up. A sickness turned around when the doctor had already said one thing. An accident should have taken you out, but somehow you walked away with only scratches, bruises, or no harm at all.

All you could say was, “Praise the Lord.”

You could not see God’s hand moving, but you knew He was there.

The faithful understand that God does not always work where we can see Him. Sometimes, He works behind the scenes. Sometimes, He is moving in front of us, preparing the way before we arrive. Sometimes, He is behind us, protecting us from dangers we never knew were there. Sometimes, He is on the left and on the right, guiding our steps, opening doors, closing doors, blocking enemies, and creating opportunities that did not even exist before.

We may not always see Him, but His presence can still be felt. That unseen hand of God is called providence. It is God’s will working itself out in our lives.

This is what Job discovered in the middle of his suffering. Job was a righteous man, yet he fell into deep trouble. He lost his children, his wealth, his health, and his comfort. His friends came to sit with him, but instead of encouraging him, they accused him. They assumed that his suffering had to be the result of sin.

But Job knew that he had tried to live right before God. He could not understand why everything was happening, and he could not see God clearly in the middle of his pain. He looked forward, but God did not seem to be there. He looked backward, but he could not perceive Him. He looked to the left and to the right, but still could not see Him.

Yet Job made a powerful statement of faith. He said, “He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.” In other words, Job was saying, “I cannot see Him, but I know He sees me. I do not understand what He is doing, but I know He knows where I am. I cannot trace His hand, but I can trust His heart.”

That is the kind of faith we need when life becomes difficult.

There are many times when God has provided for us, and we did not see Him do it. We complained about what we did not have, but somehow food stayed on the table, clothes stayed on our backs, and shelter stayed over our heads. We may not have had everything we wanted, but God made sure we had what we needed. Sometimes the right person called at the right time. Sometimes the right opportunity appeared just before we gave up. Sometimes help came from a place we never expected.

Was it luck, or was it the unseen hand of God?

The believer knows the answer. God was there. There are times when God opened doors for us, and we did not see Him turning the knob. Doors that were once shut in our faces suddenly opened. Opportunities that seemed impossible became possible. God not only opened the door, but He held it open long enough for us to walk through.

That is what He did for Israel at the Red Sea. He opened the waters, held them back long enough for His people to cross, and then closed them against the enemy. The same God still opens doors today. He opens doors for healing, provision, peace, growth, restoration, and purpose.

God has also provided spiritual strength when we were weak. We did not always see Him, but we heard Him. We heard Him in a sermon. We heard Him in a song. We heard Him in a Scripture. We heard Him through the call of a friend. We heard Him when we were grieving, and, somehow, we found strength to face another day. We heard Him after failure, telling us to get up and try again. We heard Him in the quiet places, reminding us that we were not alone.

And just as God has been there before, He will be there in the days ahead. We do not know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow. We do not know every trial that may come, every mountain we may face, or every battle we may have to fight, but we know that God is already ahead of us. He is making ways before we get there. He is preparing strength before the struggle. He is arranging grace before the grief. He is opening doors before we even know we need them.

So, do not lose hope because you cannot see Him. Do not give up because you cannot understand Him. Do not stop believing because the situation looks confusing.

God is still working. He is working in the silence. He is working in the waiting. He is working in the tears. He is working in the trouble. He is working in the places you cannot see.

That is why the believer can say with confidence, “I can’t see Him, but I know He is there.” He was there yesterday. He is there today. He will be there tomorrow. And, because our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness, we can stand firm and declare, “On Christ the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.”