Only Believe

God wants us to trust Him with our whole hearts, to step forward in faith even before we see the proof of His power. So often, we want to have a guarantee, a visible sign that He will act before we trust Him fully. But that's not the way He works. In His perfect wisdom, God calls us to believe first, then experience His hand at work in our lives. It’s about knowing in our hearts that He is good and faithful, even when the circumstances around us seem unclear or uncertain. True belief doesn’t wait for the rain to stop or the storm to calm—it believes that it can happen and trusts that God will show up in His timing. As Jesus told Thomas, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). I, for one, know this to be true.

Take a moment and think about the times in your own life when you’ve trusted God before the answer came. You didn’t have the luxury of seeing it first. You chose to believe, and in that belief, God moved. Maybe it was something as simple as walking home on a rainy day, wondering how you would get through it, and then the rain miraculously stopped just when you needed it to. That’s happened to me. Or maybe it was something bigger, something that seemed impossible until God intervened. The beauty in those moments is not just in the miracle itself, but in the act of faith that came before. God honors that kind of trust—the trust that doesn’t demand to see before it believes. That’s where He moves. That’s where He shows His glory. "But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).

God doesn’t need us to have everything figured out. He’s not waiting for us to see before He acts. In fact, it’s often the opposite: He wants us to believe before we see, to step out and trust Him in the dark. He delights when we choose faith over sight because it shows that we understand His heart. When Jesus walked this earth, He didn’t do miracles just to dazzle people or to prove a point. His miracles were an invitation to believe—believe that He was who He said He was, believe that God was moving in ways they couldn’t always see with their eyes. He did signs not to impress, but to draw people closer to a deeper understanding of God’s power and love. Jesus was inviting those who witnessed these miracles to trust in the unseen, to believe that God’s ways were greater than their own limited understanding. "For we live by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7).

And yet, how often do we find ourselves, like the people of Israel or like Thomas, asking for a sign before we’ll truly believe? We want to see the answer before we give God our full trust. We want to know how it will work out, why things are happening, and when the breakthrough will come. But God isn’t bound by our need for answers. He’s calling us to lay that down and simply trust Him. He wants to know that we will rely on Him not because of what we can see or predict, but because we know His character—His goodness, His faithfulness, His power. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5).

There is a beauty in believing before seeing. It’s the kind of faith that causes mountains to move, that turns ordinary moments into divine encounters. When we trust that God is working on our behalf, even when the situation doesn’t immediately make sense, we position ourselves to witness miracles that otherwise wouldn’t have happened. It’s not because we are entitled to them, but because God desires to show us His love in ways that stretch our hearts and deepen our trust in Him. "Jesus replied, 'What is impossible with man is possible with God'" (Luke 18:27).

It’s in those moments of belief before seeing that we come to realize how intimately God is involved in the details of our lives. He is not distant. He’s right there, moving in the unseen, orchestrating everything for our good. And sometimes, all it takes is our willingness to believe first—to step out, even when it seems like the storm is too strong or the rain is too heavy. When we choose to trust Him in those moments, that’s when He moves in ways we couldn’t have imagined, in ways that exceed what we thought was possible. It’s as though we unlock something in the spirit by believing before we see. "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1).

Think of the moments in your life when you’ve trusted God, and the way He has shown up. When you’ve had no reason to believe things could change, but you chose to believe anyway, and then—somehow, inexplicably—things worked out. It might not have been an immediate miracle, or you had to do something He told you to do first (years before), but it was God’s faithfulness showing up in a way that only He could orchestrate. It’s a beautiful mystery, one that shows just how much God longs for us to trust Him, to lean into Him, and to take Him at His word before we see the results. There’s power in that act of trust, in believing before we have the proof we think we need. "Jesus answered, 'If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer'" (Matthew 21:22).

Jesus often responded to faith like this, not because He needed to prove Himself, but because He knew that kind of trust would change the person’s heart forever. When people came to Him in desperate belief, He responded—not out of obligation, but because their faith opened the door for God’s power to move in their lives. It wasn’t just about the miracle; it was about the heart of the person trusting God in the unseen. And that’s what God is looking for in us. He’s not looking for us to understand every detail or have everything in order before we trust Him. He wants our hearts to be totally surrendered, willing to believe without seeing. "Then Jesus said to him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed'" (John 20:29).

So, when we face challenges, when we walk through situations that seem too difficult to bear, the call is always the same: believe first. Trust that God is already at work, even if we can’t see it. He’s moving in ways that we might never understand, but He’s moving. And when we believe that, when we step forward in that faith, that’s when we begin to see the hand of God in our lives—not just in miraculous moments, but in the everyday details, the small yet significant signs of His presence. "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7).

What God desires is not a faith that needs to be constantly affirmed by visible proof, but a faith that trusts Him even when we can’t see the end result. Jesus’ desire for us is simple: to believe first, and then watch how He will move. When we choose to trust Him with the unknown, He reveals His faithfulness in ways that open our eyes to the miraculous. "Jesus replied, 'Everything is possible for one who believes'" (Mark 9:23).

There’s something profoundly personal about the way God moves in our lives when we choose to believe first. It’s not about waiting for the evidence, not about needing everything to fall into place before we commit to trusting Him—it’s the act of believing without seeing that opens the door for Him to show us just how deeply He cares. Each step of faith, each moment of trust, makes the reality of His love more vivid, more tangible, to the person who is walking by faith. "For we live by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7).

We don’t always need others to understand or validate what God has done in our lives. The beauty of faith is that it’s deeply personal. There are countless experiences in life that might not make sense to anyone else, but to you, they are undeniable reminders of God’s faithfulness and love. You don’t need to prove these moments to anyone; they are proof enough of a God who moves in response to the hearts of those who trust in Him. "But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him" (Jeremiah 17:7).

When you look back at the times when you chose to believe before you had any reason to, and you see how God responded, it becomes clear how real His presence is. Maybe it was something as simple as a moment when you felt desperate, walking through something difficult, and you prayed without knowing how things would turn out. But when you trusted Him—when you chose to lay your worries down and simply believe—He showed up in ways that only you could fully understand. It could have been a change in your circumstances, a sudden peace in your heart, or an unexpected provision. You knew in that moment that it was God. You didn’t need to prove it to anyone; you felt it, you knew it in your spirit, and that was enough.

These moments are more than just experiences—they’re part of the relationship that God desires to have with each of us. He longs for us to trust Him in the unseen, to believe that He is who He says He is, even when everything around us suggests otherwise. And when we choose to trust, it’s as if we step into a new level of relationship with Him, where His love and faithfulness become increasingly real to us. It’s in that act of belief, that leap of faith, that we begin to see His love at work in ways that transcend human understanding. The more we choose to believe, the more we witness the power of that belief transforming our lives.

God is not waiting for us to have everything figured out. He’s waiting for us to trust Him in the uncertainty, to step forward with nothing but faith in His goodness. And when we do, He proves over and over again that He is faithful. Each time He shows up, it strengthens our faith, and each act of belief becomes a testimony to His love and care. We might not always see everything we expect, but every step of belief builds a deeper awareness of how present He is. It’s in those moments, when you’ve trusted Him and He’s shown Himself faithful, that you realize how much He loves you, how much He desires to be involved in every part of your life.

You don’t need others to understand your story or your experiences. God has given you these moments as a reminder of His love and the power of choosing to believe first. It’s in those times when you’ve had no visible reason to trust that His presence becomes most real, most undeniable. Those experiences, those quiet, personal moments where God’s hand is clearly at work in your life—they are not for anyone else to validate. They are the precious proof, to you and to your heart, that God is who He says He is, and He is faithful to those who trust in Him. Believe first, and then you will see. And as you continue to trust, you’ll find that seeing doesn’t always mean having all the answers or fully understanding the path ahead; it means recognizing His hand in everything, even in the small and seemingly insignificant moments. God shows Himself to those who trust Him, in ways that are deeply meaningful, deeply personal. And that’s all the proof you need.

 

 image by deepimage ai at my direction