Ephesians 3:20-21 - Loved, chosen, & empowered

The night was so clear it took my breath away. The smattering of stars reminded me of tiny shards of glass dotting the sky, and gently nestled behind a silhouette of branches rested a luminous crescent moon. Its vanilla shade was an almost tangible comfort, echoing the promise of warmth the next day would eventually bring. But for now it was night, and the moon was my company.

As I peered at the crescent, I realized I could see the faintest glow of the whole circle of the moon, as well. I wouldn’t have known to look for it if I weren’t familiar with it already, if I didn’t know the moon was sometimes full and this was only a sliver before me now. That sliver was what had caught my eye, but now that I looked closely, the whole thing was unmistakably, irrepressibly clear.

My friends, in that moment I also knew: That is how it is with God’s plan, God’s purpose, God’s hand at work in this world.

Often we seek the big and the grand and the bold. We want God to talk to us audibly, to feel Jesus noticeably at our side, to have some mountaintop experience where we’re fully conscious the Holy Spirit is on the move.

But sometimes God is in the whisper, the sliver, the barely seen.

Those of us who are Christians know in our heart that God our father truly cares, that Jesus is our salvation, and that the Holy Spirit is alive within us. But sometimes life gets hard, and our faith ebbs. We might think God is far away just because we can’t feel him, assume he is distant because we haven’t heard him speak.

But God has given us holy eyes to see there is another aspect of this, an aspect we often can only glimpse or just barely sense—the spirit world. This spirit world is the eternal world, where the colossal battles are fought and where daily concerns pale in comparison to the scope of eternity.

Just like the crescent moon is a hint of the full thing, most of what we are experiencing in this life is just a hint of God’s glorious kingdom. There’s so much more we cannot see.

We pray, and we think we understand God‘s plan for our lives, and usually he only shows us part of it, if any. Perhaps we’re not ready to see the full thing, perhaps we need baby steps, or perhaps he’s waiting to surprise us with how wonderful and glorious our future will be.

Faith is trusting that God’s plan is so much bigger than we can see. It’s knowing we don’t need proof or bold gestures for it to be real and true and oh, so good.

God cannot be confined, yet we try, don’t we?

If you are in a place today where you are heartsick, where you are feeling that burden of despair, exhaustion, and desperately craving direction from God, look with your spiritual eyes, and see what God is telling you.

Sometimes it’s only the crescent, sometimes it’s no moon at all. But sometimes, if you look closely, you’ll glimpse the full picture.

Just trust.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

— EPHESIANS 3:20-21 NIV

Get to Know Jessica

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden. She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. This year, she’s released an Advent devotional for those seeking true closeness with God, which you can find at https://www.jessicabrodie.com/advent. Learn more about Jessica’s fiction and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com. She has a weekly YouTube devotional and podcast. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.

Why God Might Feel Distant and How to Connect With Him More Deeply – Faith Over Fear

Have you ever wondered why God can feel distant even when you genuinely love Him and want a close relationship with Him? Past experiences of rejection, emotional distance or unmet needs can affect how we relate to others—and how we experience our relationship with God. Jennifer Slattery talks with author, speaker and Anglican priest Reverend Summer Joy Gross about attachment, anxiety and the fears that can leave us questioning whether God is truly attentive, responsive and engaged with us. Summer shares how understanding attachment helped her recognize some of the fears beneath her own people-pleasing and anxiety and how God has been leading her toward greater security in His love. Together, she and Jennifer discuss the pressure to approach God correctly, why we don't have to chase Him or earn deeper connection with Him and how healing often occurs slowly, one encounter with God at a time. Discover how you can bring your full, messy self to God, receive His compassionate presence and increasingly experience the secure, unchanging love of the One who continually draws near. Scripture discussed or referenced: Ezekiel 36:26; Psalm 46:10; Luke 15:3–7, 11–32; Psalms (David’s laments); Mark 10:13–16; Philippians 1:6; Isaiah 51:14 Resource referenced: Emmanuel Promise: Discovering the Security of a Life Held by God by Summer Joy Gross Find Summer Joy Gross: On her website On Instagram On Facebook Find Jennifer Slattery: On her website Instagram Facebook Amazon Subscribe to her free newsletter Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.