My family has done a couple of things without actually physically being reassured of them.

1. Most of our houses that we’ve rented—and even the house we just bought and moved into—we haven’t actually seen in person. We looked at photos, possibly FaceTimed someone who showed us around the house, and then moved into our new house. We prayed about it.
2. When going through the adoption process, we didn’t choose to wait on meeting the kids I person before choosing whether we would adopt them or not. We prayed about it.
3. Recently, upon moving to North Carolina, we had to buy a new car since my mom and little brother would be living in NC for almost three weeks before me, my dad, and other brother came. So we bought a car and nobody had seen it in person. (I’m pretty sure we prayed about it. I wasn’t really involved in this one…)

I would love to say that these things aren’t huge, life-changing things. Like, if we hadn’t been physically reassured, it would all be fine. But…that’s not true.

The houses and car could’ve been a sack of crap. The adopted sibling might have been nothing we had expected, someone we weren’t ready for.

But that wasn’t what happened. God gave us what we needed, giving us reassurance even if we hadn’t met my little brother before we committed to adopting him, even if we hadn’t seen the houses before renting or buying them, even if we had to assume that the car was going to work for our family.

There’s a verse in 2 Corinthians that says this: ‘So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.’ (2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV)

We fix our eyes on what is above—that’s God and his faithfulness. Another verse, this time in Hebrews, says that ‘…faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.’ (Hebrews 11:1 NIV)

My family did not need physical assurance but rather spiritual assurance. Prayer and keeping our eyes on God is what helps us do that.

Read Matthew 14:25-32 and look at what happens to Peter when Jesus invites him onto the water.

‘Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. ‘
Matthew 14:25-32 NIV

When Peter was walking to Jesus on water, he looked at the storm around him. And that’s when he began to sink. When you look at Jesus, you won’t sink.

Jesus didn’t invite Peter onto the water just to watch him fall.

With all the changes going on in life, we can’t be confidant in what is going on around us. But if we look at Jesus, keep our eyes on what is above, and focus on God’s promises to keep us above the waves, we won’t sink.

That’s it for today, thanks for reading!
~Willow <3