“Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?’” – John 11:40
What Jesus says to Martha as He’s about to raise her brother from the dead points to an interesting reality that can affect our own lives. Without faith, it’s possible to be completely blind to God’s glory, even when it’s in display all around us. When we have eyes of faith to see and the illumination of the Holy Spirit within us to understand spiritual matters, we’re able to see remarkable spiritual realities every day. We can see God’s workmanship, presence, power, and truth in nature, in events, in those around us, and in His Word. Without eyes of faith, we miss those things completely.
This is why one person can gaze upon the beauty of the Grand Canyon, snow-capped mountains, or the vast expanse of the ocean and fall deeply into worship of the extraordinary Creator Who made them while another speaks only of natural processes and random occurences. The glory of God is on full display all around us but it’s unseen by eyes blinded by a stubborn lack of willingness to see the most obvious and simplest explanation.
This is why one person can read through the Bible and repeatedly break out in praise, tears, song, prayer, awe, and wonder at God’s grace, mercy, love, and majesty that’s on display throughout and another person can read it only with anger, frustration, skepticism, or incomprehension. Without a willingness to believe, the glory of God is missed and His nature radically misunderstood.
When we shut our eyes of faith (which can happen even to professing Christians), we miss so much of God’s work in our world and our lives! We miss so many opportunities to enjoy and delight in God, to rejoice at His goodness and care, and to be confident in His presence. We easily become discouraged and feel abandoned. We aren’t and shouldn’t feel that way, but to see God’s glory and overcome those feelings, we must re-open our eyes of faith and believe.