Have you ever, in the midst of a painful time, been unable to see God? Yeah, me too. I think this passage in Job is one of the more heart wrenching pieces of Scripture.

I travel East looking for him—I find no one;
then West, but not a trace;
I go North, but he’s hidden his tracks;
then South, but not even a glimpse. – Job 23:8-9 (The Message)

Job is looking. He is actively seeking some sign that help is on the horizon. And he is seeing none. Referencing this exact passage, T.D. Jakes (Power for Living,) has this to say.

Job said, “I see no help, no sign of God, in the future.” It actually is Satan’s trick to make you think help is not coming.

It’s just slight of hand. It’s a magician’s trick. It is Satan playing “now you see him and now you don’t.” Don’t be fooled. God is right there. He is as close as your next breath. Even in the midst of pain, Job knew this to be true.

But he knows where I am… – Job 23:10 (The Message)

When we just can’t see him, we can comfort ourselves with the knowledge that he sees us. Sometimes, it is more important to know him than to see him. Peter knew this to be true.

Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.

You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total salvation. – 1 Peter 1:7-9 (The Message)

In the midst of your suffering, Satan whispers, “You can’t even see him.”

In the face of suffering, faith declares, “I don’t need to see him because I know that he sees me.”

Keep believing.

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For the introductory post to this series, as well as an ongoing index of all the posts, just click here. —> 31 Days of Faith