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[0:00] A pastor's reflections. Believe to see. Exodus 14, 31. And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians.

[0:11] And the people feared the Lord and believed the Lord and his servant Moses. Jeremiah 33, 3. Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not.

[0:27] Psalms 19, 1. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork. Seeing is not believing, but believing is most definitely seeing.

[0:41] There are many unbelievable things that happen every day that people will either choose to believe or to disbelieve. Whether they actually visually witnessed those things or not will have no bearing on whether they choose to believe or not.

[0:58] The headlines and articles in the daily news cycle are proof enough for that. Just because something is written or even shown does not necessarily mean it will be believed.

[1:10] People read things all the time that they believe, despite never having physically laid eyes upon them. And they also see things every day that they choose to disbelieve, no matter how much visible proof there may be.

[1:25] Psalms 19, 1. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork. The established fact of God's creation declaring his glory is not in question.

[1:38] It's not as if God could have just chosen to do a better job of declaring his glory, and then maybe people would believe in him. No, it's that they choose to see only what they have first chosen to believe.

[1:52] They will never see God's glory in creation, because they have chosen not to believe in a God of creation. No matter how much visible proof there may be, the evidence of unbelief will always overlook it.

[2:07] In Exodus 14, Moses and the people of Israel have just traversed the most unbelievable of situations. They have literally walked upon the floor of the sea.

[2:18] Having then come out through to the other side and into deliverance. They then look back to see their perennial enemy, the Egyptians, all washed up and overthrown.

[2:32] The result of what they see then leads to a further strengthening of a faith that is already there. They believed God, and what they saw confirmed that reality.

[2:44] Pharaoh and his army also saw the mighty works of God. They also traversed the impossible path through the sea, and they also experienced the presence of God, but without faith.

[2:58] Pharaoh and his army were unable to see what was right in front of their face. To those who did not already believe, what they saw did nothing for them.

[3:09] 2 Corinthians 5.7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. Sight will support and encourage a faith that is already there. But sight can do nothing to establish a faith that does not already exist.

[3:24] Thank God for sight that encourages faith. And thank God even more for the faith that allows us to see. Father, we were blind until you sent your one and only Son to bring sight, not to our eyes, but to our heart.

[3:42] Thank you for allowing us to believe what is so clearly seen, that you love each one of us and have a plan for our lives. Help us to believe, so that we might also see.

[3:54]  Amen. Amen.