Seeing the Invisible

Hebrews 11:27 By faith he (Moses) forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

Is it possible to "see" something that cannot be seen?

Moses spent forty years in the wilderness. He was exiled from his family, his people, and his home. He descended from a prominent place in the royal Egyptian household to tending flocks of sheep in obscurity. Something gave him the resolve to endure for an extended period of time.

We don't read of any words of encouragement or inspiration. We don't read of anyone encouraging Moses to persevere. Moses was alone and had to be self-sufficient in his determination to endure and to find his purpose in life. It wasn't merely a short season. It wasn't even a year or two. It was half a lifetime.

At the end of this 40-year period of preparation, Moses finally encountered God in a visible form. At first, he was unaware of the presence of God. He was intrigued by the bush that burned with fire yet was not consumed. As he approached, the Lord spoke to him out of the fire.

At the age when many men conclude their life work, Moses began his. He led the children of Israel out of Egypt and "pastored" a congregation of millions. He wrote the history of beginnings that make up some of the most important books of the Bible.

Psalms 103:7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

Moses acquired a knowledge of the ways of God. He not only learned about God but learned to know God's character, and eventually speak for God. Moses' knowledge of God was far beyond the visible acts performed by God. The ways--paths, habits, customs--of God were revealed (made known by God) to Moses.

During his wilderness experience, Moses became grounded in his faith, conviction, and purpose. Hebrews 11:27 alludes to a relationship that Moses developed with the Unseen One. Perhaps by prayer or perhaps the recitation of oral histories, Moses kept alive in his mind the consciousness of God. Moses sought to know God.

How did he endure? From what source of strength did he draw? Moses remained faithful by seeing something—really someone—who could not be seen with the eye. It could only be experienced and known in the soul.

May we also follow a lifelong pursuit to "see" the Unseen God.