The Seen and the Unseen: Living Between Heaven and Earth

 

The Seen and the Unseen: Living Between Heaven and Earth

Matthew 18:26 — NLT-style paraphrase

The servant fell before his master and pleaded with him, “Please be patient with me, and I will repay everything.”

Psalm 103:20 — NLT-style paraphrase

Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out His commands and listen for His word.

Daniel 7:9–10 — NLT-style paraphrase

Daniel saw the Ancient of Days seated upon His throne. His clothing was white like snow, His throne blazed with fire, and an enormous number of heavenly beings ministered before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.

John 1:51 — NLT-style paraphrase

Jesus told His disciples that they would see heaven opened and the angels of God going up and down upon the Son of Man.

1 Peter 1:8 — NLT-style paraphrase

You love Christ even though you have never seen Him. And though you do not see Him now, you trust Him and rejoice with a joy so glorious that words cannot fully express it.

Have you ever had a moment when the sheer weight of life made you want to drop to your knees and say, “God, I need a clean slate!”?

I have.

There are times when the numbers don't work, the circumstances don't make sense, and no matter how hard you try, you can't seem to find a way through.

Our electricity has been off since April. I have contacted ten different agencies trying to find help. Two have already told us no—one because our power is already off and another because we don't have children living at home. Some agencies have simply run out of funds.

I have managed to save $800 toward what we owe, but I am still about $1,700 short.

That is a HUGE amount of money for us.

Ross and I live on about $2,000 a month. If I put $1,700 toward one bill, that leaves us trying to figure out how to pay for the car, home insurance, medication, food, gas, and everything else life requires.

And honestly?

Sometimes I look at all of it and think, “Lord, I don't know how I am going to do this.”

I am an intelligent woman, but budgeting has always been difficult for me. My ADHD, anxiety, and the way I respond to overwhelming situations can make dealing with finances especially difficult. Even knowing that I need help doesn't make asking for or accepting that help easy.

Sometimes the very thought of someone trying to help me with budgeting causes so much distress that the situation becomes even harder.

We are often over budget, and something gets pushed to the back burner so we can take care of something else.

And then I beat myself up over it.

I know I need to do better.

I really do.

But God knows something else, too.

He knows I am trying.

He knows my heart.

He knows I don't want to live in chaos. I don't want to be impulsive. I don't want to make things harder than they need to be.

Sometimes, quite honestly, I am a pain in my own tushy! 😂

But God isn't surprised by any of this.

And that brings me to today's Scripture.

In Matthew 18, a servant falls before his master because he has accumulated a debt he cannot possibly repay. He begs for patience.

The Greek word used there is makrothumeō (μακροθυμέω).

It carries the idea of being long-tempered, patient, and slow to anger—literally, having a “long fuse.”

I love that picture.

Because sometimes I think we approach God exactly like that servant.

“Lord, please give me more time. I'll fix it. I'll do better. I'll get everything together. Just give me another chance.”

But the truth is, there are some things we simply cannot fix by ourselves.

And maybe that is where faith begins—not when we finally have everything under control, but when we finally admit that we don't.

Looking Beyond What We Can See

Psalm 103 reminds us that God's angels are malakhim—the plural of the Hebrew word malakh, meaning “messenger” or “one who is sent.”

They aren't presented as decorative figures floating around heaven.

They are servants of God, carrying out His commands.

Daniel was given a glimpse into the heavenly realm, and what he saw was overwhelming.

The Ancient of Days was seated upon His throne.

Heavenly beings surrounded Him.

The court was assembled.

The books were opened.

While Daniel was standing on earth, he was shown that there was an entire reality beyond what his physical eyes could see.

And I think that is something we desperately need to remember.

Because when the electric bill is sitting in front of me, I see $1,700.

God sees the whole picture.

When I see another agency say no, God sees possibilities I cannot see.

When I look at our circumstances and wonder how Ross and I are going to get through them, God isn't looking at our lives from the same limited perspective that I am.

I see today.

God sees yesterday, today, tomorrow, and eternity.

Jesus Is the Bridge

Then Jesus tells His disciples that they will see heaven opened and angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.

Jesus was pointing back to Jacob's ladder.

And what a beautiful picture that is.

Jesus is the Bridge.

He is the One who connects heaven and earth.

The God we cannot physically see stepped into the world we can see.

The unseen became visible in Christ.

And because of Jesus, we don't have to somehow climb our way into God's presence.

We don't have to earn His patience.

We don't have to become perfect before we can come to Him.

We come exactly as we are.

Messy.

Overwhelmed.

Behind on the bills.

Frustrated with ourselves.

Exhausted.

Hopeful one minute and crying the next.

God already knows.

And He still says, Come.

That means something to me right now.

Because I am waiting.

I am praying.

I am making phone calls.

I am doing what I can.

And then there comes a point where I have to put what I cannot control into God's hands.

That doesn't mean I stop trying.

It means I stop believing that everything depends on me.

Joy We Cannot Explain

Peter gives us another beautiful word in 1 Peter 1:8.

The Greek word aneklaletos (ἀνεκλάλητος) describes something inexpressible—something so profound that human words cannot fully communicate it.

That is the kind of joy Peter describes.

And isn't it interesting?

He doesn't say we have joy because everything is easy.

He says we can rejoice even though we cannot see Jesus physically.

Faith is believing in the One we cannot see while walking through circumstances we can see very clearly.

So perhaps our journey looks something like this:

We begin with a burden we cannot carry.

We cry out for God's makrothumeō—His patience.

We remember the malakhim, God's messengers, serving according to His will.

We look toward the throne of the Ancient of Days, remembering that God is still sovereign.

Then we look to Jesus—the Bridge between heaven and earth.

And somehow, in the middle of all our uncertainty, God gives us aneklaletos—a joy that words cannot fully explain.

I don't know yet how our electricity situation is going to be resolved.

I don't know where the remaining $1,700 will come from.

I don't know which phone call will finally bring an answer.

But I do know this:

God knows.

And while I am waiting, I can keep praying.

I can keep doing the next thing in front of me.

I can keep asking for help.

I can keep learning.

I can keep trying.

And I can keep reminding myself that my financial struggles do not determine my worth.

Yesterday, Ross and I spent much of the day cleaning here at home. It was actually a pretty good day.

And as I was cleaning, I thought about how grateful I am that maybe someday in Heaven I won't have to clean!

Can you imagine?

No dirty dishes.

No poopy cat boxes.

No laundry.

No mystery smell coming from somewhere that you can't find.

😂

But seriously, sometimes ordinary things like cleaning the house remind me that life doesn't have to be perfect to contain good moments.

We had a fair day.

We worked together.

We got some things accomplished.

And today, I am going to try to do the same thing with my faith.

One day.

One prayer.

One phone call.

One step.

I don't have to see the whole staircase.

I just need enough light to take the next step.

God is not asking me to understand everything He is doing.

He is asking me to trust Him while He is doing it.

So today, I'm going to take a deep breath.

I'm going to stop beating myself up for everything I wish I had done differently.

I'm going to remember that God knows my heart.

I'm going to do what I can.

And then I'm going to leave room for God to do what only God can do.

Because what I can see isn't all there is.

There is a heavenly reality beyond what my eyes can see.

There is a God who knows what I don't know.

There is a Savior who bridges heaven and earth.

And there is grace waiting for me right here in the middle of my messy, imperfect life.

I am still waiting.

I am still praying.

And I am still believing.

Because God is not finished with us yet.

Heavenly Father,

Today I come to You exactly as I am.

You know the things that are weighing on my heart. You know our financial struggles, our home, our needs, and the uncertainty we are facing. You know how hard I have tried to find help, and You know how discouraged I can become when one door after another seems to close.

Lord, please help me remember that a closed door does not mean You have abandoned me.

Give me wisdom for the things I can change and grace for the things I cannot.

Help me learn better ways to manage what You have given me without allowing shame to convince me that I am a failure.

Help me remember that my mistakes are not my identity.

Give Ross and me strength for each day, patience with one another, and peace in our home.

And Father, if there is a way through this situation that I cannot see yet, please open the door at the right time.

Provide what we need.

Guide the people who may be able to help us.

Give me courage to make the next phone call, take the next step, and keep trusting You.

When I can see only the problem, help me remember that You see the entire picture.

When I feel overwhelmed by what is visible, remind me of the unseen reality of Your presence.

Thank You for Your patience, Your mercy, Your grace, and Your unfailing love.

I don't know what tomorrow holds.

But I know who holds tomorrow.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power,

and the glory,

forever and ever.

Amen.

BELIEVE, OBEY, BE BLESSED AMEN BOBBA ❤️

Love, Penny 💛 

#Godisgood #faith #devotional