When Our Eyes Can’t See What Our Hearts Know

Here in Alabama it is SNOWING today! Beautiful white flakes blowing and swirling and falling all over the place. Some big, some small, but all bringing joy to little and big hearts alike. And as I sit here in my bathrobe watching them fall outside my window, my heart and mind are turning with all the Lord is showing me through them. So I want to share a couple of things we can learn from these precious moments today:

1. God sends beautiful reminders of who He is in His perfect time.

You see, this is the first time it has snowed in my little hometown in four years. And it was four years before that. And four years before that…you get the picture. This is a rare treat that brings such excitement for all of us who get to experience it. As each winter rolls around, we Southerners pray and watch the weather reports for any miniscule chance of getting to see snow. We allow ourselves to hope and wait expectantly just in case….but many years, as the end of February rolls around, we realize our hopes for snow will not come to fruition…and with disappointment set them aside until next year.

And y’all, I feel like we do this in life too. We all have hopes and dreams that we pray for. We long for God to answer our prayers and show us reminders of who He is right away…only to be disappointed when that doesn’t happen. A year passes, then two, then three…and we wonder if He’s still there…if He even hears or sees us. We lose our excitement, anticipation, or expectant hope of what He is going to do…because it seems it’s been too long. But y’all, then that fourth year comes. And He “shows up.” He reminds us of His beauty and glory and majesty and faithfulness because we see with our eyes tangible evidence of His work and presence. We praise and “feel” close to Him again, thanking Him for this wonderful moment.

But y’all, guess what? That moment won’t last. The snow is falling, only to last a few hours…maybe a day at most…and then it will be gone. And there’s the difference between earthly circumstances and the Lord. Weather patterns change and snow comes and goes, but the Lord never does! Even when you can’t see Him or feel Him…He is still there:

“Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!” Psalm 116:2

“The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him…” 2 Chronicles 16:9

“But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” John 5:17

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

Don’t give up in the hard years…don’t let doubt fill your time of drought. He is still there, working and moving and growing you behind the scenes, waiting for the perfect time to show you and remind you of His beauty sweet friends.

2. We must allow those precious reminders to “stick.”

So here’s the second lesson. After a number of years with no hope of snow in sight…no moment of that longing coming to fruition, it’s here. I told you that it is blowing and swirling and falling all over the place…and it is. But what I didn’t tell you before, is that it isn’t sticking. As I look out the window, the scenery on the ground has barely changed…I see grass and wet concrete and puddles of water everywhere. Thoroughly disappointing right? I know. So here’s what we need to remember:

In His perfect timing, the Lord answers our prayers and shows us what He can do. Some of us have longer periods of waiting than others, but when our prayer is answered…when we see and experience that moment of God working (whether it looks like what you thought or not)…we have a decision to make. Will it make any change in our lives? Will we remember? Because that moment won’t last forever.

The seasons of highs and lows, mountains and valleys, come and go, y’all. They just do. And if we don’t allow the Lord’s teaching and provision in those “feel good” moments…those highs and exciting times with Him to “stick”…it’s going to be even more difficult in the in-between. We must cling to Him, His truth, and soak up every little lesson so that later, we will remember and be able to tell others of His goodness until it comes again, just like we do in-between those “snow years” bringing out the old pictures, reminiscing about making “sleds” out of cardboard or boogie boards and sliding down hills (you Southerners know what I mean:)), etc..

His Word brings life and power and His actions are recorded there for us to remember what He has done in the past. It’s our responsibility to share it in the in-between when our eyes can’t see what our hearts know. For our children and grandchildren and friends and for ourselves…we must not forget. We must allow all that He teaches us to “stick”:

“When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.” Deuteronomy 8:10-18

Enjoy every second of this beautiful snow day my sweet friends. Thank you the Lord for His gift, ask Him to speak to your heart and give you strength and peace and joy to sustain you until He is “seen” again, and pray for all of it to “stick.”