Sitting in the uncompromising chair staring into the dimly lit abyss to the illuminated wall across the room, I heard, “Read the smallest line you can see.” The optometrist was asking me to read the Snellen Eye Chart. You know, the visual we have all gazed at from time to time since we were children in elementary school. The one that defines if we will soon be wearing the new nickname “four eyes” or learning how to gently place a sphere-shaped plastic disc smack dab on the top of our eyeballs.

I’ve been wearing contact lenses since I was a teenager. It was determined then that I couldn’t see from 20 feet what average people can see from that distance. Unfortunately, I need to move in much closer than 20 feet. So, in response to the optometrist asking me to read the smallest line I could see without my contacts, I meekly replied, “E!” And here’s the sad part. I couldn’t even read the E from where I was sitting in that uncompromising chair, I just know the E is there!

Isn’t that exactly how we often feel with God? We can’t see God but we know He’s there. Those periods when we can’t see or feel the evidence of His work in our lives, but we know He’s present. Those times when God doesn’t seem to be moving the obstacle out of the way as we think He should but we know He’s trustworthy. Those hushed spells when we need an answer but can’t hear anything. He’s still there! Just as the E is a constant at the top of the Snellen Chart, God is faithful in our lives.

Where is it today that even though you can’t “see” God, you need to know without a doubt He is there?

 The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see…

Hebrews 11:1 (The Message)