Saturday Spiritual Uplift - Faith in the Unseen

Faith in the Unseen

Garlic bulbs aren’t very pretty. They have lined papery skin covering their awkward shape. Much the same can be said for various flower bulbs. They’re dull in color and there’s nothing remarkable about them. Wait for spring, though, and their stems burst through the thawed soil and announce their presence with a colorful bud.

At the house I grew up in, a white wooden fence stood across the driveway as a backdrop to a row of my mom’s tulips. I don’t know how many years they continued to come back, but I remember those pink, yellow and red blossoms announcing that spring was indeed in full swing for decades.

When a bulb is buried in the dirt, deeply enough not to be dug up and eaten by deer or rodent, we can’t see how its roots sprout, entwining in the soil below. All winter long, there’s no sign of life visible to our eyes, but still we hope and wait for the snow to melt, the ground to thaw, so that the bulbs can send forth shoots of green with sprouting buds. First we see the crocus, then daffodil, then hyacinth and tulip in their lovely array.

(by Anna Paulowna, from Wikimedia Commons)

In Chapter Four of Romans, I read how Abraham’s faith was counted to him as righteousness, that his salvation wasn’t one of works, but of God’s grace. In verses 16 and 17 it says: So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

Abraham didn’t have the scriptures to read yet or the example of Jesus being raised from the dead, yet still he believed that God could raise the dead and create something from nothing. How much more I should believe Him and trust Him for each day! When we confront the impossible situations in life, we have a Lord and Savior with whom all things are possible. We can trust Him to do something better than we ever imagined, even when we can’t always see how He is working.

How has the Lord encouraged you in your faith walk this week?

This is a month of celebration and thanksgiving! I am celebrating the release of Brave New Century, containing my debut novella, The Pocket Watch, with more give-aways. This week, leave a comment and/or follow, for a chance (each time you enter) to win a $15 Amazon gift card. The drawing for the week will be tomorrow, Nov. 10, so please leave a comment before tomorrow evening!