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).
Christ changes our perception and gives us the ability to see things from God’s perspective. When we accept Christ as Lord and Savior it as if a fog that we never noticed before begins to lift, as we face situations and decisions, the words of Christ can begin to show us more clearly the right way to go as well as giving us more profound revelation about specific actions we need to take.
Christ provides us the words for certain circumstances that can well up within us when we need to speak to them. It’s not that some incredible manifestation happens, it’s just that whatever we do or say prospers because of our relationship with Christ. Like the tree planted by a river of waters, our spiritual roots tap into a fresh supply of power, which is available upon demand.
We are a people who believe in what we Touch, Taste, See, Smell, and Hear. This is of no fault of our own. After all, these are the senses given to us at birth and first developed within our humanity. Ensuring that a new born baby connects with their mother, the child is immediately taken from the womb and placed immediately on the chest of the mother, so the child can touch, taste, smell, hear and see their creator and provider.
As we grow, we become more depended on what we see. Our sight gives us perspective, the ability to observe cause and effect, in addition to anticipating our future. The older we get, the more depended we become upon our sight. Thus, we do not trust the things we cannot see. I know some math teachers who will not accept homework or classwork unless you SHOW them your work. We have heard that “Seeing is believing.” Some believe, “What you can’t see, can’t hurt you.”
On April 14, 1912, at 11:40 pm, the Titanic struck an unseen portion of an iceberg. Before the collision, a vessel named the Californian called the Titanic and told them they were stopped because they were surrounded by ice. The Titanic responded to the Californian, “Shut up. I am busy. I am working Cape Race” (Inquiry Project). The threat of the iceberg was brushed off because the Captain of the Titanic could not see the ultimate size of the iceberg.
From what the Captain could see, the Titanic would miss the iceberg by all counts, but underneath, unseen was the largest part of the iceberg which ripped a hole in the Titanic’s hull. A total of 1,503 people died, including passengers and crew. One of the first lifeboats to leave the Titanic carried only 28 people; it could have held 64 people. There were enough life-jackets for all 2,208 people, and most everyone was wearing one. Yet, 300 dead bodies were pulled from the sea the next morning (Business Insider, 2019).
There are unseen things, as well as things that are seen, and there is a vast difference between the two. Our text tells us, “unseen things are eternal, and seen things are temporal.” Our Lord and Savior is omnipotent, omniscience, omnipresent, and physically unseen since the giving of His life on the Cross. This makes it difficult for some people to accept Jesus because they cannot “see” him. They cannot see His power, majesty, and glory. They cannot see the magnitude of the grace, mercy, and love that lies beneath the Cross.
Much like an iceberg, many cannot see what is beneath the Cross of Christ.
REFRENCES
Inquiry Project. https://www.titanicinquiry.org/USInq/AMInq01.php. Accessed July 09, 2019.
Business Insider, (April 2019). 12 famous people who died on the Titanic — and 11 who survived. https://www.businessinsider.com/titanic-famous-survivors-victims-2018-4. Accessed July 09, 2019.