What's your boat? (Lessons from Dunkirk)

         Yesterday we went to see the new movie "Dunkirk."  Whew!  It was great...and so incredibly griping that my stomach was clenched in a knot the entire movie.  I've known the story of "the miracle at Dunkirk" for a number of years, so I'm thrilled it's finally been made into a movie.  But it's remarkable how many folks (and especially those from the younger generation) have never heard about this amazing, inspiring, and crucially important event that may well have prevented Germany from steamrolling over Great Britain and potentially altering the outcome of World War II.
         In light of this new movie, I thought's I'd include an excerpt from a talk I gave a while back about this event.  Dunkirk has countless lessons for all of us, but here's one or two of them that really convicted me--
         God has ALL power, ALL wisdom, and ALL ability, yet He has sovereignly chosen to use us as His instruments on this earth.  The Lord wants us to be His hands and feet in a hurting world.  And that's both an unspeakable responsibility and privilege.  We don’t just work for anybody.  No, we serve the King of Kings!   That should put a spring in our step and give us energizing purpose every morning when we wake up.  And who knows how God can  use even some of our smallest acts of service to have a far-reaching impact for good and for His glory.  Because the Lord’s in the business of using the seemingly hidden, hard, ordinary, and insignificant things in our lives in remarkable and even eternal ways.
For instance, how on earth do you suppose the Lord could use the service of a dilapidated, old fourteen foot fishing boat during a cataclysmic world war?  Well, the humble owner of that little fishing boat would tell you, “An awful lot!”
You see it was in the beginning stages of World War II in May of 1940.  The overwhelming might of the German fighting machine had inflicted heavy casualties on the Allied Forces of Britain and France who were opposing the Nazis in a desperate struggle for survival.  As the powerful Nazi troops swept across Europe, the over 450,000 soldiers of the Allied Army were forced to retreat, and the British commanders soon realized that unless they were somehow able to evacuate their forces, they’d be trapped and completely annihilated in France.  That would’ve been catastrophic, for it would’ve meant the destruction of the great bulk of Britain’s forces, leaving England largely defenseless.
The troops eventually ran out of space to retreat and were trapped on a beach at a place called Dunkirk.  The Allied’s position looked hopeless with their backs to the sea and the German juggernaut relentlessly attacking them from the front as well as bombing and strafing them from the air.  The German Air Force even dropped leaflets urging the British and French to surrender for there was no chance of escape.
All of England knew of the desperate plight of their soldiers and were awaiting the dreaded news of the annihilation of their brave forces.  Late on the night of May 25, a simple three word message was transmitted across the airwaves of England from the commander of the British Army at Dunkirk. The cryptic message simply said: “But-If-Not.”  
        Remarkably, these words were a direct quote from the Old Testament book of Daniel.  It’s from the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednago in which three young Hebrew exiles are about to thrown into a fiery furnace for refusing to bow down to a golden statue of the mighty Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar.  These young men defiantly tell the King, “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king!  BUT IF NOT, let it be known to you, O king, that we will NOT serve your gods or worship the golden image you’ve set up.” (Dan.3:17-18).
“But if not,” the British forces were telegraphing their people, “We will not quit; we will not give up; and we will not surrender.”  
In a matter of hours, thousands of regular old English citizens began getting into their boats and heading across the perilous waters of the English Channel towards their trapped soldiers. The boats they owned were of every conceivable shape and size—from small fishing boats, to trawlers, to lifeboats, to motor boats, to even an Olympic racing yacht.
Guided by the smoke and flames filling the sky above Dunkirk and at great personal peril, these civilians and their ragtag rescue fleet made their way through German attack and treacherous waters to the stranded troops.  Under withering enemy fire, these ordinary British citizens began evacuating the exhausted soldiers.
The operation—code-named Dynamo—continued for several days.  At the beginning, the British figured they’d be lucky to save even a tiny fraction of the troops.  Yet, miraculously, this motley crew of all kinds of average citizens and their boats ended up rescuing the vast majority of the trapped forces—nearly 400,000 men!  No wonder historians now refer to it as “The Miracle at Dunkirk!”
But think about it—what if all those ordinary British civilians had responded to this desperate call with: “I’m too busy,” or “My boat’s not much good,” or “I’m too tired,” or “Somebody else is far better equipped to handle this than me,” or “The situation’s hopeless so what’s the point of risking my life?”
I can tell you what would’ve happened—innumerable fighting men would have lost their lives, and in all likelihood, Great Britain wouldn’t have recovered after losing the bulk of her fighting force.  And had England fallen to the Nazis, there’s no telling what might have been the outcome of WW II.   Yet because a bunch of ordinary people—folks much like you and me—answered the call and decided to offer up themselves and their boats to serve their nation and save her soldiers, Great Britain survived to fight another day.
So let me ask you: What’s your boat and how are you using it?  We all have boats, you know.  Not literal ones of course, but our boats consist of our time, our talents, our treasure.  We all have different abilities, different circumstances, different interests, different giftedness, different resources, but we have one thing in common.  We are ALL called to serve.  We’re all called to use what God’s given us to serve where God’s placed us.
You could say that we’re saved to serve, and we’re blessed to be a blessing.  God doesn’t bless us, teach us, redeem us, love us so that we can just hoard His goodness and grace in our lives and then huddle by ourselves in the dark.  I couldn’t help but think of Gollum.  Remember Gollum from J.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings  series.  He’s warped and twisted beyond recognition, because he selfishly clutches, hides, and refuses to share the golden ring, which he names his “Precious.”  No!  Over and over again God’s Word makes it clear that we’re healed to help; we’re blessed to be a blessing; and we’re saved to serve.
        If you’re still breathing today…then God still has great plans for you, and He still has work for you to do that you—and only you—can do.  Let’s stop worrying about what other people are doing…or not doing!  Let’s stop comparing our path of service with someone else’s.  Let’s stop looking at the world and culture around us and throwing up our hands in despair, thinking “what difference can I possibly make?”
No, I’m certain that if we could go back to May of 1940 and ask that question of every British owner of every boat who chose to get off their duffs, overcome their fear, and refuse to give in to their despair over the plight of their trapped soldiers, they would all respond: “One person can make all the difference in the world!”  Look at how each person who was willing to use whatever boat God had given them and to serve where God had placed them, helped save countless lives and even ultimately affected the outcome of a World War.  Don’t you bet each of those boat owners—as well as each of those rescued soldiers—never ever ceased being overwhelmed with thankfulness and joy at the way God used the service of some boats and their willing owners to save lives?
God used David’s sling to bring down Goliath.  He used Moses’ walking stick to confront Pharaoh and rescue his people from slavery.  He used Rahab’s red chord to save her entire family from destruction.  He used Mary’s perfume to pour out extravagant love upon Jesus right before He would give His life for the sins of the world.
We’ve who’ve been saved, rescued, and blessed by the Savior have the priceless opportunity to express and pour out our thankfulness and love by being a blessing to others.  We’ve been saved to serve and healed to help.  And we’ve been given our boat by Almighty God—whatever our boat might be—so that we might be a blessing.
The time is NOW to stop making excuses, stop giving in to fear, stop wallowing in discouragement, and start using our little boat to serve God and others.  There are all kinds and ways of serving: serving in your home, in your church, in your community.  Serving through prayer. Serving with financial generosity.  Serving by encouraging others.  Serving thru hospitality.  Serving by sharing our faith.  Serving in whatever way and in whatever place God has chosen to put you.
And if you’re perhaps questioning whether it’s worth it…or maybe wondering if you have the desire or the energy or the ability or the time to serve, can I encourage you to recall another rescue mission?  Only this was a divine rescue mission that occurred a little over two thousand years ago.
For you see, every single one of us was even more hopelessly trapped than those doomed soldiers at Dunkirk.  We were entrapped by our sin and selfishness, and there was no possible escape for any of us, because the wages of sin is always death and despair.
But at the most desperate, most eternally dangerous of moments, Almighty God didn’t just send a boat—of even an enormous fleet of boats—to rescue us.  He didn’t send a supremely powerful military.  Nor did He send advice or a self-help guru or even a brilliant strategist to help us try to figure out how to deal with our hopeless condition.  
No, He came Himself.  The Lord Jesus willingly relinquished the perfection, comfort, security, and beauty of heaven in order to come Himself and rescue us.  Jesus left the infinite joys and wonders of heaven to come and rescue us, even though He completely knew and understood the pain, humiliation, betrayal, and rejection that would confront Him on earth’s war-ravaged shores.
And at the cross of Calvary, Jesus conquered sin and death and rose to new resurrection life so that any and every person on this planet could be rescued and saved.  The only requirement?  Like those soldiers at Dunkirk who had to choose to step off the burning shores of France and onto those rescue boats, we, too, have the choice.  If we want to be rescued, we must choose to accept Jesus’ offer of deliverance by making Him our Lord and Savior.
If you're reading this and have never made that decision, I pray that this would be the day that you would say “yes” to Jesus and accept His rescue so that you might enjoy abundant, glorious, eternal Life—with a capital “L!”  
And if you have been rescued by Jesus, I sure hope I’m not alone in admitting that there are plenty of times when I don’t feel like serving others.  Sometimes weariness or discouragement or just plain old selfishness gets the better of me…and I don’t really want to serve my family…or my friends…or those I come into contact with…or those in need.
But here’s what I’ve learned—in those moments of exhaustion or frustration or discouragement or selfishness, if I’ll simply shift my gaze off of myself and instead, as Hebrews 12 says, “Fix my eyes on Jesus,” it changes everything!  Because when we see the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of the universe washing His disciples' dirty feet…or lovingly embracing a leper…or offering the gift of forgiveness and salvation to the outcasts of their society—like the adulterous woman, the prostitute, and the tax collector--or stretching out His hands wide on a cross and saying “Father forgive them” as they hammered the nails into His flesh…or dying on that cross for the likes of you and me out of His immeasurable love and grace, how can it not compel us to cry out, “Thank You, thank You, thank You, my King, for rescuing and saving me!  I’ll happily serve anywhere, anytime, in anyway that You direct so that I might pour out my grateful love and worship to You!”
Oh my, how this dark world needs the hands and feet of Jesus right now to serve as He served and love as He loved.  Out of overflowing thankfulness for His extravagant goodness and grace, might we be ready and willing to offer ourselves to love and serve wherever and however our Savior leads us. We’ve been blessed to be a blessing, healed to help, and—praise God!—saved to serve.  By the power of His Holy Spirit and to the praise of His glorious grace, let’s get out there and do it.
        To God be the glory.  

Grumbling over the weather or grateful?

        "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." (Col.3:1-2)
         "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit." (Rom.8:5)
         You know it's funny.  Lately, it seems like everywhere I go, folks are complaining about the hot weather.  Okay, duh, it's late July in North Carolina...so it's steamy and stifling most of the time.  And yes, it's not tons of fun to get in your furnace-like car to run an errand and burn your "sit-upon" the moment you get in.  And yes, this is some serious sweatin' weather, no doubt about it.
           But here's the thing: along about January, everywhere you go, people will be moaning and groaning about the cold, the ice, and the grey.  (And in the interest of full disclosure, yours truly--who is NOT a winter gal--will be Numero Uno in the complaint department.)  So people, are we never satisfied?  Will we always simply default to grumbling over the weather...or the traffic...or the busyness of life...or the political climate...or the whatever??
          Seriously, where does all that complaining get us?  Does it help?  Does the temperature somehow mysteriously drop a few degrees if we whine about it?  Are we better able to cope with life's minor or major difficulties in a pervasive atmosphere of fussing and fretting?
          I think we all know the answer to those questions.  Because as the Bible tells us over and over again, our mindset is key.  Will we set our minds on things above or on things below?  Will we set our minds on the things of the flesh (with it's continual tendency to complain) or on the things of the Spirit?  Will we allow our minds to simply drift along with the sewage-like stream of our grumbling, ever-discontented culture or will we consistently go to God's Word so that our minds will be renewed and we will be transformed?  Transformed into people of joy, hope, peace, love, grace, forgiveness...in other words, transformed more and more into the image of Jesus.
            Enough of the grumbling over the weather.  Enough of the complaining about everything under the sun.  (I'm preaching to myself, by the way).  Let's choose to fix our eyes on Jesus (Heb.12:1-2).  Let's choose to renew our minds in His Word.  Let's choose to set our minds on things above.  Let's choose to think about--and discuss--whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable (Phil.4:8).  Let's choose to use our mouths to build up, encourage, and thank rather than tear down, discourage, and complain.
           And it all starts with one tiny choice at a time.  One decision to read the Word rather than scroll the internet.  One decision--on a moment by moment basis--to set our minds on Christ and on things above rather than things below.  One decision to count our blessings rather than list our complaints.  One decision to speak words of gratitude rather than words of dissatisfaction.
           No matter how hard or challenging or painful our circumstances, the one thing we always have is the choice as to how we will respond.  We choose how we will set our minds.  We choose the words we will speak--whether words of gratitude or grumbling.
           So how about we start today?  Right now, in fact.  Thank You, Lord, for the bright, hot sun that gives life and light to this lovely earth You've given us.  Thank You for the beach, the mountains, the pool, the ice cream place, the air conditioning that provide us wonderful respites from the heat.  Thank You for the more relaxed pace of summer.  Thank You for children that are home during these months. Thank You for the change of seasons.  Thank You for Your Word that renews our minds and transforms our attitudes.  Thank You most of all for Your Son, the Lord Jesus, who is with us through all of life's ups and downs, in season and out of season, in all the highs and lows.
          Father, keep us fixed on You.  Keep us in Your Word.  Keep us thankful.  Keep us focused on things above.  And keep us speaking words of grace and gratitude to everyone we meet.
         To God be the glory.

Seeing and savoring the beauty

        We're back from the mountains, but I'm still remembering and savoring the extraordinary beauty of those majestic green hills and dancing streams.

 There were moments throughout each day that I would pause, inhale deeply of that pure mountain air, and offer my simple praise to Almighty God for the wonder of His spectacular handiwork.  Thank You, Father, for eyes to see Your beauty as reflected in Your creation.  Thank You for ears to hear the chorus of birds, babbling water, and gentle breezes in the swaying trees.  Thank You for a nose to smell the scent of pine and purity.  Thank You for feet to climb over big rocks and stomp through cold water.  

 Thank You especially for the priceless gift of sharing Your magnificent creation with loved ones.  How grateful I am for my family and my friends.  What multifaceted treasures they each are.  Here are just a few of them.  My sweet sister, Jane, showing off her big catch!  (Don't worry--we throw everything back!)

  Some of our crew (we were really missing some of our family, but thankful for every one we got to be with!).

 A few good men...in front of a few good mountains.

          But most of all, I'm thankful for the beautiful Creator who is so clearly reflected throughout all His breathtakingly lovely creation.  I can't remember who said it, but someone once pointed out that all of nature is one giant finger pointing clearly to the Creator.  Creation is the finger that points to the One who so perfectly and wondrously crafted every atom of every square inch of creation.  Every slippery, colorful trout...every blooming rhododendron...every soaring mountain peak...every pebble, rock and boulder...every stream, lake, and ocean...and every uniquely different and remarkable person made in His image.
         Oh might we be even more captured by Christ's beauty, by His wonder, by His glory.  Might we see His creation and give praise to the Creator.  Might our enjoyment of all of His gifts point us inexorably and unmistakably to Him and His goodness and grace.  
         "You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Ps.16:11)   Help us Father to see and savor the Lord Jesus in all His beauty, power, splendor, and glory.
        Thank You for the gifts of this beautiful world.  Thank You for the gifts of our loved ones.  Thank You for any and all gifts--big and small--which are all from Your hand for You are the Giver of all good gifts. (James 1:17).  And thank You, thank You, thank You for the Gift of all Gifts--our Savior, Redeemer, Lord, and Friend, the Lord Jesus.  Help us to see, savor, and treasure His beauty this day and every day.  To God be the glory.
        To God be the glory.    

Upgrading our earthly tents

        "For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens...So we are always of good courage.  We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith not by sight." (2 Cor.5:1,6)
         As life and time marches on, so too the departure of loved ones.  Recently a number of good friends have had to say goodbye to dearly beloved parents.  And I don't care how old someone is or how sick or how much pain is involved, it's still hard--so extraordinarily hard--to lose someone.  Of course, I need to restate that, because believers never truly "lose" someone, for we know exactly where they've gone and where they are.  If we know where we can find them and know that we will see them again, then they are not one bit lost to us.  Just relocated...or should I say, infinitely upgraded.
         I've recently been reading a powerful book by Levi Lusko entitled Through the Eyes of a Lion.  It's about the experience of the shockingly unexpected death of their family's five year old daughter, Lenya after she suffered a catastrophic asthma attack.  This happened just days before Christmas.  I won't go into all the details of the book, but suffice it to say, this pastor's brutal honesty and yet indomitable faith, hope, and love have left an indelible mark on all who've heard this family's story.
         But I loved these words Lusko wrote: "As agonizing and painful as it can be, death is the ultimate upgrade for the believer: moving from the tent into the home Jesus has been preparing for you. Charles Spurgeon once preached, 'Death, as it pulls away our sackcloth canopy, will reveal to our wondering eyes the palace of the King in which we shall dwell forever, and, therefore, what cause have we to be alarmed at it?'
        The tent you leave behind is not you.  You are not your body.  You will never be buried.  There is not a single person in a cemetery.  Those who used to inhabit those tents have moved on into eternity. Death is not the end of the road; it's just a bend in the road...
        We must fight to remember that the grave doesn't get the last word.  The body that was taken from us will be returned in our resurrection...The very word cemetery itself comes from the Latin word dormitory and means 'sleeping place.'  When the coffin lid closes it sure seems final, but it is only a temporary arrangement.  One day Jesus will give a wake-up call to the bodies in the dorms, and they will rise.  This promise is the hardest to remember when you need it the most, but you must force yourself to look at death through this lens." 
         Praise God for the gift of our Savior who conquered sin and death and whose resurrection assures us of eternal life in heaven.  For every believer, death does not, not, not have the final word...  Jesus does, and His Word promises that the moment we die, we're instantly relocated, upgraded to heaven--a place of incalculable wonder, beauty, love, perfection, joy, and glory.
         So yes, we grieve the loss of our loved ones.  But while we weep over their departure, at the same time we rejoice over their arrival.  Our temporary loss...their eternal gain.  Our sadness over missing them...their joy over finally and truly being home.  And our hope and happiness because we believe--we know--that we will see them again one day in glory.  No more sorrow or pain or fear or separation or disease or weakness.  But they--and we--perfected.  Glorious.  Radiant.  Joyful.  Powerful.  Christ-adoring, Christ-exalting, Christ-reflecting.
         Thank You, Father, for the certain promise and hope of heaven.  Thank You that because of Jesus, we know that we will see our loved ones in You again, and we will enjoy the wonder of Your priceless gift of salvation forever.
          And thank You that those we love in Christ who are already home in heaven are not dead.  No, no, they are more vibrant, more joyful, more gloriously alive than any of us still here on this old earth.  Give us eyes of faith to see and hearts to trust in You and Your unfailing Word.  And when we struggle with fear and doubt in the face of death, help us to cry out like that father coming to Jesus with his sick child, "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24)  You will never, ever turn away such a plea for You are the infinitely good, wise, powerful, and loving Father.
          "I am the Resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die." (John 11:25-26)  Thank You, Jesus, our Resurrection and our Life.    
          To God be the glory.      

Help us to remember

        Remember.
        Over and over again in God's Word, we are told to remember.  
        Remember God.  Remember Who He is.  Remember what He has done.  Remember His goodness.  Remember His greatness. Remember His grace.  Remember His promises.  Remember His power.  Remember His love.  Remember His countless gifts to you.
        "While I was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to You, into Your holy temple." (Jonah 2:7)
        "Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me." (Isa.46:9)
        "Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done, His marvels and the judgments from His mouth." (I Chron.16:12)
         "And He took the bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.'" (Luke 22:19)
        "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the works you did at first..." (Rev.2:2)
        "So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it and repent..." (Rev.3:3)
        You'd think I'd have learned this lesson by now.  I mean, after all, how hard is it to simply remember?  Evidence of God's extravagant goodness is all around us.  We have His Word.  We have the church.  We have other believers.  We have our past history of God's unrelenting faithfulness to us.  Surely remembering should be simple, right?
         Well, maybe for you, but not for this slow learner and quick forgetter!  And come on, truth be told, don't we all tend far to easily to default to those bad old destructive habits of worrying...or complaining...or fretting...or doubting?  And whenever we do that, we're failing to remember.
        "Yeah sure," we think, "Father, You've been faithful in the past.  Your Word is true.  You are forever faithful and true and unchanging and good.  I can say all that.  I know all that intellectually, but, but, but..."
          Oh mercy, in the heat of battle, in the darkness of disease, in the cauldron of pain, in the fires of affliction, in the nitty gritty of life's muddy trenches, we forget...or at least I sure do.  In fact, just today, I realized to my horror and shame that I completely forgot about a baby shower.  Had it written down on my calendar.  Had already ordered the presents from the registry.  Had excitedly planned to attend....and utterly forgot.  I wanted to cry when I realized my terrible lapse in memory.  What on earth?  How could I be that ridiculously and terribly forgetful?  Even as I write this, I feel like weeping.    
           Well, what a vivid and sad example of how prone I am to forgetting.  Sigh.  Oh Father, forgive me and help me to remember.  Help me to remember You. Help me to remember Your faithfulness. Help me to remember Your promises.  Help me to remember Your love...and forgiveness...and grace...and power...and provision...and mercy.
          Father, from before time began, You always remembered me...please, please help me to always remember You.
          I close with Tim Keller's powerful prayer: "Lord, I worry because I forget Your wisdom, I resent because I forget Your mercy, I covet because I forget Your beauty, I sin because I forget Your holiness, I fear because I forget Your sovereignty.  You always remember me; help me to always remember You."  Amen and amen.
          Oh how thankful I am for my Heavenly Father who never, ever, ever forgets.  And how thankful I am for grace.  Help us, Lord, to remember.  To God be the glory.

Trust in the unseen

        Another beautiful sunrise in the mountains.  God, You are amazing.
       The low lying clouds completely hide the vibrant green carpet of earth and trees and roads that spread out underneath.  You'd never know anything at all was there--yet just under those clouds is teeming, sprawling life.  

  And another hidden view.  The boys playing golf on hole 17 that has a spectacular view off the mountain...but today, the clouds conceal the beauty of verdant valley and foothills below.    

         I couldn't help but think of Paul's words: "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." (2 Cor.4:17-18)
         Focus on the unseen.  Remember the unseen.  Don't allow what you can see to blind you to the fact that far more, infinitely more, is going on behind the scenes.  Oh my, it's so easy to get caught up and preoccupied with what we see, taste, and touch that we miss, ignore, and forget the exponentially more important unseen.
         Here's what Levi Lusko says in  his powerful book, Through the Eyes of a Lion: "This is the war: every moment of every day, we must make the all-important choice of whether we will rely on the naked eye.  Will we trust what we can see is there, or believe what God says is there?  It's a decision we are continually confronted with."
        "Will we trust what we can see is there, or believe what God says is there?"  
         Will we trust that God is in sovereign control of every single thing that happens in this universe...even when disease or death or disaster hits us broadside?  Will we believe His perfect eternal Word...even when culture denigrates and denies it at ever turn?  Will we place our faith in our Almighty Lord and in things unseen...or in what we can see, what others tell us, and what we feel?
         It's a moment by moment choice we have to make, and as Lusko says, it's a battle.  A daily battle for our hearts and minds to trust in God's unseen instead of the seen.
        Yep, that valley, those foothills, those trees and roads were all still there today even though I couldn't see a one of them with my eyes.  They were merely hidden for the moment, and so I trust what I know is true, though unseen.  And I'm thankful that God's Word reveals what is true.  The true Truth.  The unseen Truth.
        We can trust in the unseen, because behind it all is the Almighty Lord of Heaven and Earth who sees all,  knows all, and does all for His greater glory and our ultimate good.        
       Trust in Him.  Trust in His Word.  Trust in the unseen.
       To God be the glory.