Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen...Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Hebrews 11:1,3
Dear Lord,
Thank You that we can believe in the unseen and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is real. We praise You for the firm conviction that things not seen are just as true, just as firm, just as sure. Faith is not a crutch for a weak mind, but the conviction of a mind, fully awake, allowed by the Spirit of the living God to see beyond what can be touched to the eternal reality that undergirds, upholds, and explains it.
What is this world without You, Lord?
It would be beauty without reason, it would be motion without purpose, it would be symmetry and story that turn out to be only accident. That would be intolerable and lead to despair, which is the silent cry of the world today. Help us to be the invisible made visible, to be the evidence seen by the hurting world. Our lives - transformed, made new, redeemed - may be the only evidence many people see of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Be real in our lives, Lord, and draw others to that reality.
All praise to our Lord, Jesus, who makes and will make all things new.
Amen
The prayer above is from my devotional called Prayers and Promises for a Hurting World. It really speaks to me because I sometimes feel like no one else understands how I feel in my faith and just how much faith it takes to walk with Christ. When I read that prayer, it was like it was written just for me. It's become one of my favorite devotionals to read.
Do you ever feel like you're living in a world where the word "faith" is a bad word? How do you handle those feelings?