Resting In The Unseen: The Power Of Imagination And Faith

“Faith uses our imagination to see things that are not as though they were.” ~ Harold Herring

Imagine a life lived in complete surrender and peace- where anxiety, worry or fear have no access. Picture yourself living constantly with the expectation of best case scenario, while confidently trusting in God and His power. The truth is your faith needs your imagination to see what is possible with God.

This isn’t just wishful thinking- using your imagination stirs up your faith. Your thoughts are powerful and faith-filled thoughts can help you to stop doubting and believe in God’s good plans for you.

Resting in the unseen through the power of imagination ignites our faith.

God has told us to live by believing and not by seeing (2 Corinthians 5:7). In the Amplified Translation it is said like this: “for we walk by faith, not by sight [living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in God’s promises].” If we could train our minds to visualize a desire becoming a reality and at the same time rest in the unseen outcome, we would cultivate faith and overcome anxious thoughts. Our imagination has the ability to replace worry, doubt and fear with a deep sense of stillness. Our imagination can become the bridge between doubt and belief.

Think about the way little children live. They are completely uninhibited in how they dream and play. It’s something they don’t even think about-they’re just naturally imaginative. Unless life’s disappointments seep in, children tend to live in a constant state of joy and peace. In Matthew 18:3 Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.” As adults, we can learn to “become like little children.” We just may have to work at dreaming with eyes of faith again and develop a way of thinking that has the attitude of “what would it look like if God answers this prayer” rather than “what if God doesn’t give me this desire of my heart.”

Give your imagination permission to roam: it is fuel for your faith.

Try to imagine the very thing you’ve been praying for coming to pass. Stop for a moment and really imagine it. Let your thoughts run wild with every detail. For example, let’s say you are a single person that desires to be married and have a family. Allow yourself to experience, in your mind, what it would feel like meeting your spouse and getting married. How would you feel the moment the man of your dream proposes to you? Picture yourself looking for a wedding dress, picking out your bridesmaid dresses-what color would they be? What will the venue look like, etc. As you delve into this, fear and doubt will most likely try to tell you you are being silly. Tell them they are not allowed. Choose instead to be free with your imagination! Feel the emotions too, the joy, the celebration. Give yourself permission to vividly imagine your biggest God-given dreams.

We often lose sight of how big our God is. We have thoughts like “could God really do that?” The answer is yes! Yes, God can do anything. He has told us “I am the Lord, the God of all people of the world. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27). God is the dream giver and He has put those desires within us. He is the one holding our circumstances. Dear friend, this is what faith is. It is living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in God’s promises. It’s receiving what God has for us before we actually see it manifested in our life. We must keep on praying and walking by faith. Let your imagination help you along while you wait for God to answers your prayers.

Our faith needs imagination so we can receive God’s promises before we ever see them in the natural.

The power of imagination is often neglected. We simply do not allow ourselves to imagine a beautiful tomorrow, where our dreams come true. We tend to go to doubt and disbelief instead. Most of us don’t think enough about our dreams and desires coming to fruition. However, it is powerful if we do. Proverbs 29:18 tells us, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” We must keep our dreams and desires in front of us and let our imaginations ignite a fire of faith within us. There is freedom in imagining all the good that God has in store for us. 1 Corinthians 2:9 reminds us, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

Your imagination is the canvas where God paints His promises.

Today may we rest in the unseen and use the power of our imagination to release a supernatural faith within us. May we know that God not only can bless us, but that He wants to bless us. He loves us more than our human minds can grasp. He needs us to do our part by praying, believing, surrendering, and trusting Him- all while using our imagination to keep our hope alive. Let us always remember that God is for us. The Passion Translation says it beautifully: “Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you” (Ephesians 3:20).

May we remember the most important way to use our imagination is to picture eternity with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Click here to listen to the powerful song by Mercy Me called “I Can Only Imagine.” As the lyrics say, may we imagine what it will be like to walk by Jesus’s side and see His face before us. This, dear brothers and sisters, is something we need to daily imagine.

“This is what it means to trust God: We will be sure about the things that we hope for. We will be sure in our minds about things that we cannot even see.“~ Hebrews 11:1

Photo of little girl in field: Sabrina Gricolat on Unsplash