My brother-in-law has just returned from Vegas. His favorite show while there? David Copperfield. There’s a saying we all know: “Now you see it, now you don’t.” It’s the magician’s line, the catchphrase of disappearing acts. One moment the object is visible; the next, it’s gone.
But when following Jesus, that flips that idea on its head. It’s often: “You don’t see it… But now you do.”
The Faith That Sees Beyond Sight
Faith means believing before you see, trusting God’s promises even when your natural eyes see no evidence. And when you hold on, you often discover that what was once invisible becomes amazingly visible with faith.
The Nature of Faith
Hebrews 11:1 KJV
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Most people, when they think of believing for something, it is just wishful thinking. I will explain why in a moment. But faith isn’t wishful thinking. It’s having confidence even when circumstances tell a different story. Even when others say it isn’t so. Even when what you see looks otherwise. So, whether it is what you hear, what you see, or how you feel, you may not see it…but then you will.
Think about how we plant seeds in the ground. We bury them beneath the soil where we can’t see them. Yet we water, wait, and believe they’ll sprout. Faith works the same way: you don’t see the answer right away, but you believe it’s growing, hidden until it materializes.
Biblical Examples of Believing Before Seeing
The Bible is full of people who saw miracles (now you see it), but only after believing first (you don’t see it).
- Abraham was nearly 100 years old and still childless when God promised him a son. Despite years of waiting, he believed, and eventually, Isaac was born.
Romans 4:18-21 NIV
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.
Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
- Peter stepped out of the boat onto the water. He didn’t test the water’s firmness first; he believed Jesus’ word and acted, and for a few miraculous moments, he walked where only God could.
Matthew 14:28-29 NIV
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus.
- The woman with the issue of blood believed that if she could only touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, she’d be healed — and she was.
Mark 5:25-34 NIV
25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”
32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
In each case, initially, they couldn’t see the outcome. They chose faith, and then God made the unseen seen.
Why We Struggle to See by Faith
Here’s the key. The secret. The silver bullet.
Romans 10:17 NIV
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
This is it. God’s word is our faith because our faith came from hearing God’s word. There is no other faith. God’s word is the same as faith. The only way to have faith is to have, see, read, and believe the word of God.
The reason for struggling? Not using God’s word as the foundation of what you need or want to see happen – the foundation of what you believe. Check this out:
Hebrews 11:3 KJV
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
What? Are you kidding me? God didn’t make the world with mud and rocks and say, “Look what I formed out of what is here.” No, He made the mud and Rocks with His word. He spoke it into existence.
As humans, even as Christians, we want proof. We want guarantees. We:
- Fear disappointment, which makes us hesitant to hope.
- “What if nothing happens or my faith isn’t strong enough?”
- Worry about looking foolish, which keeps us from taking steps of faith.
- “What if nothing happens – how will that look?”
The Unseen Spiritual Realm
This faith stuff, the unseen realm, feels less “real” than what we can touch or measure. But know this…
God’s word is more real than anything in this world. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. God invites us to live differently — to walk by faith (to walk by HIs word), not by sight.
My Own “You Don’t See, But Now You Do”
Not long ago, I was let go from a business that a private equity firm bought. It was where I was a Business Coach. Right now, I don’t see my next revenue-producing job or work. What I do see is God’s word and what it says. I prayed, but nothing has changed yet.
This is where we can begin to wrestle with doubt. We might see with our physical eyes that it doesn’t look good. We might hear that “there is nothing available.” Or maybe even those old voices from the past speak in our heads about “not being good enough,” or “you’ll never make it.” Yet deep inside, God keeps nudging us. ” Keep believing. Don’t quit.“
Eventually, doors opened in ways I couldn’t have imagined. What seemed invisible for so long became visible — a tangible answer to prayer. The waiting was hard, but God proved that faith truly does bring unseen things into sight, into reality.
Challenge of the Week
In God’s kingdom, “You don’t see, now you do” is more than a twist of words. It’s how faith works. You may not see it yet…but keep believing and standing on God’s word. God’s promises are true, and He delights in turning invisible hopes into visible realities.
Let’s choose faith (God’s word) today, even when our eyes see nothing. Because with God, unseen things don’t stay unseen. So take a request you have, find out what God’s word says about it, and stand on His word. The word that is more real than what is seen. So be it!
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