Things not Seen

Based on Ezekiel 1-2, Hebrews 11:1-19

"And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house." Ezekiel 2:6

Ezekiel is yet another prophet sent to speak to Israel after the book of Jeremiah ends...and he knew he had quite a task before him! This is what he DID see: harsh people speaking harsh words, comparable to briers, thorns & scorpions! Ouch! We've all been "bitten" by a few harsh words before. Usually, our response is to just go away and forget about them, or fight back in some cases...but this prophet of God was told to keep on speaking in faith, not in fear, just like Jeremiah! When good is not seen, we cannot just flee the scene! We need to keep speaking faith, hoping & praying it sticks somewhere!

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

If we don't have faith & show it to the world, they can't see God like we can! They can't understand how God is with us every step of the way if we choose to abandon the cause too. If they want any evidence, we've gotta show it by speaking Truth! The things of God are the "things not seen" today. As in Ezekiel, we DO see harsh people with harsh words & opinions! We need to combat that not by an argument, but by an arm reaching out & sharing the Word of God!

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

Hebrews 11:6

When we seek, we will find! Or, we can choose to turn a blind eye to the things of God, keeping Him on the list of the "unseen." Not only to ourselves, but to those around us! Do we really want to be a closed door to The Lord??

"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." Hebrews 11:13

The prophets & people of old mentioned in the Bible died in strong faith...these not only died with a faith for their present time, but also died knowing the promises prophesied would outlive them! They were content with "afar off," and that's because, by faith, these things were still in their vision! They were not "unseen," just "far away." Let's not be near-sighted in faith! Let's be speakers of God's Word, bringing life to things not (normally) seen!