SEE BEYOND WHAT IS

Key Text: “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

There is a difference between seeing what is happening and seeing what is possible. A renewed mind does not deny reality, but it refuses to make visible reality the highest level of reality. The bill may be real, the delay may be real, the rejection may be real, and the limitation may be real, but none of these things are necessarily the conclusion of your story. Faith gives you the ability to look at what is and still believe God for what can be.

Think about the widow in 2 Kings 4. When Elisha asked her what she had in her house, she answered, “Your servant has nothing there at all, except a little oil.” That “except” was carrying more potential than she realized. She saw a small quantity; God saw the beginning of an overflow. Sometimes your problem is not that you have nothing. You have simply become so focused on what you lack that you have stopped noticing what is already in your hands.

This is where transformed imagination becomes powerful. Instead of repeatedly imagining the worst possible outcome, train your mind to ask, “What could God do with this?” A student can look at a difficult course and imagine failure, or imagine mastering it with disciplined study and God’s help. A young entrepreneur can look at limited capital and only see what cannot be done, or begin thinking creatively about what can be started with what is available. Your imagination becomes redemptive when it stops merely rehearsing problems and starts exploring possibilities under God’s direction.

Prayer and Confession
Father, teach me to see beyond what is immediately visible. Deliver me from the habit of allowing present circumstances to define the boundaries of my expectation. I acknowledge what is real, but I refuse to believe that what I see is all that exists. Give me eyes to recognize opportunities, resources, ideas and possibilities that I have overlooked. Amen.

Reflection
What are you currently seeing as “nothing” that God may be showing you is actually something He can work with?

Further Reading: 2 Kings 4:1–7, 1 Samuel 17:32–37, Hebrews 11:1–3, Romans 4:17–21, 2 Corinthians 5:7