My grandfather often tells his congregation a story that took place many years ago when he pastored a very small church in Newburgh, New York. I love hearing the story because it involves me. I’ve always loved church. Moreover, I’ve always loved seeing churches grow. One day when I was about 7 years old, my grandfather and I were sitting at home talking. All of a sudden he said, “Let’s go down to the church.” I quickly got dressed, because I loved to go to the church with my papa. He took me into the empty sanctuary. Stood me in the back, and said, “Close your eyes.” So with a great smile on my face, I closed my eyes.
Wondering what my grandfather was up to, I quickly opened one eye and closed it just as quickly when I saw him looking at me. He said, “Marcus, imagine the church being full of people.” I waited about ten seconds, and he then asked me, “What do you see?” I said, “Papa, I don’t see anything.” He began to laugh hysterically, hoping that my answer would have been that I saw the church full. But being 7 years old, I only knew to say exactly what my eyes let me see, which was darkness.
What I found out later in life is that my grandfather wanted me to use my imagination and see the church full of people. He saw it, and that vision actually came to pass. That’s the way God invites us to see the invisible. He will allow us to be in a place that needs to be developed, and He will challenge our faith by pushing us to see what we don’t see.
Our waiting season is like this as well. God will put us in a position and tell us to close our eyes and see into the future. It is as 1 Samuel 12:16 says, “Even now, take your stand and see this great thing which the Lord is doing before your eyes.” I believe even now, as you are waiting for your miracle, as you are waiting for things to get better for you, God has stood you up in the middle of your empty situation and is asking you, “What do you see?” Many of us are like my 7-year-old self. We don’t see anything. We see only what is physically there. But through experiences like the one I had with my grandfather, I’ve learned to rejoice that what I see now will not be what I see forever. If my grandfather invited me back to that same spot in an empty church and asked me the same question, my answer would be different now.
I don’t want you to agree with the enemy and only see the worst for your life. I don’t want you to be down and miss out on seeing the good. Even in your waiting season, what do you see? Do you see yourself stuck in the same negative place forever? Or do you see yourself breaking through the worst season of your life? I want you to smile because you can see your reason to smile. I want you to see yourself better than the way everyone else sees you.
My papa would always tell me, “You have to see it before you see it, or you never will see it.” In other words, if you don’t see beyond your natural circumstances now, you will never be able to see your future. If you see yourself broke, you’ll stay broke. If you see yourself sick, you’ll stay sick. If you see yourself lonely, you’ll always feel lonely. Understand this: If you see yourself healed, healing will come. If you see yourself wealthy, wealth will come. If you see yourself married, a marriage will come. Your future will be produced based on the seeds you sow now.
What types of seeds are you sowing? If you decide to sow the seeds of greatness, a harvest of greatness will come forth. Don’t allow yourself to sow seeds of negativity. If you see the bad only, the bad will continue to produce itself in your life. But if you decide to see the good while the bad is in front of you, knowing that the good is on its way, the good will take over the bad.
The enemy is the one who shows you the negative stuff. The devil and his demons want you to see only your problems. God wants you to see your promise. God wants you to see that things will get better for you if you just believe. Satan wants you to believe that trouble will last forever. God wants you to see that trouble doesn’t always last. That is certainly a reason to rejoice while you’re in your waiting season. Because you can see beyond this season, start rejoicing for what you in the future.
Prayer Power for the Week of Nov. 4, 2018
This week, use His Word to help you see your life and future as God sees it. Declare it over your life. Thank Him that His plans for you are good and praise Him that He is God and totally trustworthy. Continues to pray for the nation and upcoming elections. Ask God to direct you in your voting. Pray that our leaders would have godly wisdom to make the decisions that affect all of us. Pray that our president will have and heed wise counsel. Read: 1 Samuel 12:16, Jeremiah 29:11.
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