Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Have you ever had the thought: Is God really real? I can think all I want about gravity and disbelieve in its existence because I can't see it, but gravity is real. I work in a building that has several stories, and no matter what I do, if I walk off the top floor, I'm going to die.
I love what Peter writes in 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 8, our Verse of the Day, where it says, "You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy."
The Stubborn Honesty of Faith
I love this passage because it really talks about the stubborn honesty of the Bible and the doubts we have of worshiping a God that we don't see. As I look at my life, I know I'm not perfect, but I'm trying to worship God the Father. I'm trying to praise Jesus Christ the Son, and I'm trying to worship the Holy Spirit of God. I'm trying to worship God with my life, and I've never seen this God.
Let's think about this a minute. There's fingerprints of God everywhere. We have a conscience inside of us. We have creation—the sun, the moon, the stars, the planets, animals. God's fingerprints are everywhere.
Peter is writing to people who have been scattered, who are dispersed. They're suffering persecution. A mean guy named Nero was around who actually killed Christians. Peter writes to encourage them. In our Verse of the Day in verse 8, he gives us three bedrock assurances about how this God that you cannot see—how you can love and trust and serve Him.
Three Bedrock Assurances
First, you can love someone you cannot see. He says it right there: "You love Him even though you have never seen Him." You can love a God that you cannot see. Last week I had an amazing time at my birthday—several relatives' birthdays—and we celebrated my birthday hundreds of miles away. That's where my relatives are right now. I can't see them. I haven't seen them in a week. I still know they're there. How much more is God? Can you and I love someone that we don't see?
Second, you can trust someone that you don't see. He says right there, "Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him." Proverbs 3 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart." Here's what happens: the reason why we don't trust sometimes is because we believe ourselves. We want control. We believe our feelings. We'd rather trust circumstances. Peter says even though you don't see Him, you can love Him and you can trust Him.
Third, you can have joy in someone that you do not see. Finally, he says, "And you rejoice with glorious, inexpressible joy." Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight, take pleasure and take joy in the Lord." Nehemiah 8:10 says, "The joy of the Lord is your strength." That's what you want. That's what I want. I want to be happy. If we're happy in God, that's the right place to place our happiness.
Building Your Faith
You can love someone that you don't see. You can trust someone that you don't see. You can take joy and have joy in a God that you do not see. It's important for you to read your Bibles. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. That's how you build your faith, and you can put away the doubts because you have strong faith.
More than that, more than endeavoring to have strong faith, know that your faith would be sight. God sees you and He loves you. Jesus Christ died for you. Every sin that you've ever committed is fully, finally, forever forgiven because of Jesus. If He did the greatest thing in forgiving you, He will certainly continue to see you and get you to heaven and be with Him one day.
Let's love, let's trust, and let's take joy and pleasure in this God who's really real. He's so real—He sees you and He'll never stop seeing you because He loves you.
