2 Corinthians 5:7, New International Version

"For we live by faith, not by sight."

The other morning I was headed to work, and I was looking at the sky as the sun was rising. The sky was beautiful shades of pink, and I wondered if my mom in Delaware could see those same beautiful shades. I thought if the sky was cloudy in Delaware, then all she would see was the clouds, but does that mean those shades of pink didn't exist just because there were clouds. No. It got me thinking about God and just because we don't see Him doesn't mean He's not with us and doesn't exist.

Do you ever feel anxious or afraid when you are alone? Or have you ever lost something only to realize it was right in front of you the whole time? Or felt that sense of panic when you are at a concert or sporting event and the person you are with just vanishes into the crowd?

I can’t imagine what the disciples felt like that Saturday after Jesus died and was buried. I can only assume they were panicked, anxious, and full of confusion. Jesus’ physical presence had made all the difference in their lives. And while you and I today know that God was still with them and over every part of their lives, from their perspective, He was gone.

I think there are a lot of times we find ourselves feeling the same way the disciples felt that Saturday. We are following Jesus but don’t feel His closeness in our lives. We feel anxious or alone, almost as if we have lost something and are trying to find it again.

The good news is that we don’t have to live in the Saturday mindset because of what happened on Sunday. On the Resurrection Sunday, Jesus rose victoriously from the grave, conquering sin, death, and every moment of unrest, anxiety, and isolation. Not only did He overcome these things, but He also made a promise to His disciples, and to us, at the close of Matthew 28. “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20, NIV)

Even though Jesus may no longer be here physically, in-flesh, He is with us always. And even when we can’t physically see Him; we can see all the ways He’s been present with us.

When hard times come, it can be so easy for Satan to distract us from what God is doing in our lives. And in the midst of it all, the devil wants you to focus on what you can see—all of your troubles and fears in the moment—more than what God is doing on your behalf through your struggle.

And if you want to have a steady flow of joy in your life, and peace “which transcends all understanding,” (Philippians 4:7 NIV) then you have to learn how to believe what you can’t see more than you believe what you can see.

Sadly, we are so accustomed to only believing what we see right in front of us with our natural sight. If we don’t see God doing something, then we assume He is not doing anything. But the truth is, He is always working, and if we will just believe that and keep our hope in Him, then we will see evidence of His work in His time and His way.

And that’s when we realize that He was always with us, always doing what was best for us and everyone else in the situation all along.

In the few verses ahead of Matthew 28:20, we see that after His resurrection Jesus took His disciples up to a mountain top. “Now, the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.” (Matthew 28:16, NIV)

Maybe in the moments when we don’t feel God’s presence, we need to take a trip back up the mountain and look out over the landmarks in our lives. The ones that remind us He was with us the whole time — and still is. When that familiar feeling of fear and uncertainty creeps in, I pray we remember those words in Matthew 28, that God is with us always.

Be full of hope. And no matter what you do—no matter what you see or don’t see—always remember that God is present, even if you can’t see Him.