Seeing the Unseen

Seeing the Unseen

As schoolchildren, we learn about the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and
touch. We use these senses to perceive the world around us, and it’s easy to think
that nothing goes unnoticed. But did you know that there’s a world beyond
human perception? Dogs can hear high-frequency whistles that are completely
silent to human ears, and bees can see ultraviolet patterns on flowers that are
invisible to us. There’s yet another world that’s invisible to us: the spiritual world,
and we often fail to see it.
This unseen spiritual world exists outside our direct senses, but we can see it if
we’re looking. Romans 1:20 states that God can be “clearly perceived” in creation.
Yet, despite this, we often miss this spiritual world when we get too caught up in
the here and now. Jesus says that life consists of more than food or clothing
(Luke 12:23), but these physical needs occupy most of our time. Beyond that,
daily routines and distractions can make even the most devoted Christian lose
sight of spiritual matters and ignore the spiritual world around us.
Consider how we talk about modern problems like social media addiction. We
often discuss how constantly scrolling social media results from brain chemistry,
hormones, and the “dopamine rush” we get from online approval, ignoring the
spiritual aspects of this problem. The spiritual reality beneath it all is Satan’s
attempt to sift us like wheat and enslave us to sin. When we only consider the
physical problem, we only look for physical solutions. Physical solutions are good
but insufficient, as the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but divine (2
Corinthians 10:3-6). Physical healing needs to be paired with spiritual healing to
make us truly whole.
Spiritual blindness is not just a modern challenge – even an Old Testament
prophet’s servant struggled to see the spiritual realm. In 2 Kings 6, when the
Aramean army besieged the city of Dothan, Elisha’s servant cried out to him in
despair, “What shall we do?” Elisha said: “Do not be afraid, for those who are
with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O
LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the LORD opened the eyes of the
young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots
of fire all around Elisha.
The servant focused on what his eyes and ears could perceive and didn’t see the
army of the Lord that was on his side.
This spiritual reality has two sides. Just as God’s heavenly army was present to
protect Elisha, the devil’s temptations are present to oppose us. Paul says this
struggle isn’t against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil
(Ephesians 6:12). Peter tells us that we have an adversary who prowls like a
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). The enemy is crafty and
seeks to harm us, and this spiritual struggle plays out in our daily lives – whether
at school or work, in the home, or online.
Ignoring this spiritual war has serious consequences. Peter tells us to be watchful
to avoid being caught off-guard and vulnerable. We need to be aware of Satan’s
attempts to undermine our faith, whether through discouragement and doubt,
lies, or temptations to sin. When we ignore the spiritual war, we miss
opportunities to do good. Paul said, “For we are his workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should
walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). If we don’t engage in this spiritual battle, we will
fail to do the good that Jesus wants us to accomplish each day.

We can take several steps to increase our spiritual awareness. To sharpen our
spiritual senses, we should spend more time in prayer, and like Elisha, we should
pray, “Lord, open my eyes.” We need to stay focused on spiritual things by having
more spiritual discussions with spiritual people. Instead of talking about football
or the weather, let’s change the topic and “set our minds on things above”
(Colossians 3:2). Additionally, each day we can ask ourselves questions to help
center ourselves on the spiritual: “Where did I see God at work today?” “Where
did I face spiritual opposition?” “Where am I vulnerable?” and “How can I equip
myself today?”
Like Elisha, we have a powerful spiritual army on our side, but seeing those
chariots of fire can be difficult. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:12: “For now we
see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know
fully, even as I have been fully known.” Even the apostles had limits, but we can
take courage in the fact that eventually, like Paul, the scales will fall from our
eyes. But for now, let’s develop spiritual sight, engage in the spiritual war, and
live a spiritual life.
- Dan Harbin

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Setting the Clock

Every morning for years, at about 11:30, the telephone operator in a small Sierra-
Nevada town received a call from a man asking the exact time. One day the
operator got up the nerve to ask him why he did this every day.
He replied, “Well I’m foreman here at the sawmill, and I have to blow the whistle
at noon, so I call you to get the exact time.”
The operator giggled, “That’s odd – all this time we’ve been setting our clock by
your whistle.”
“If we measure ourselves by ourselves, and compare ourselves with
ourselves, we are without understanding.” (2 Cor 10:12 )



Our kids singing “Roll the Gospel Chariot” reminded me of this:

“Never give the devil a ride - he’ll
eventually insist on driving.”

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