If we are hoping for something that hasn’t come yet, we can trust God sees it.   ~~~   Do you believe things today are as they ought to be? If you’re on a beach somewhere with your toes in the sand and not a care in the world, you just might believe that. But even IF that is where you are, things still aren’t as they ought to be are they? We DO have so many cares in this world. We don’t have to look far to find pain. It’s in our own lives, in the lives of those around us and we see it everyday in our country and around the world. When my heart is overwhelmed with the truth that things are NOT as they ought to be, I remember 1 Peter 5:7 that says, ‘cast all your care on Him because He cares for you.’ We weren’t meant to carry the weight of this world. We can find rest as we lay ALL our cares down at the feet of Jesus. That’s the beauty of faith. Even when the world around us is falling apart, I am blessed. If you are IN Christ, you can claim that same blessing and promise. So even if things aren’t as they ought to be, it CAN be well with your soul and as it ought to be because you are IN Christ. He makes it right, even when it’s not. It’s a beautiful truth that is not based on what you see. It’s based on a HOPE that is found in what we cannot see. It’s faith’s promise. Things may not be as they should be now, but one day they will be and until then, it IS well with my soul. Faith’s promise is that one day things will be as they ought to be. So we walk by faith and look to the promises of God. He’s never not kept one by the way! Look at Abraham and Sarah in the Old Testament. God promised them a son. God told Abraham in Genesis 15 to count the stars and if he COULD count them, that would be the number of his descendants! Do you know how long Abraham and Sarah waited for a child? A very long time. But the Bible tells us that Abraham believed in the Lord. He had faith, even when things weren’t as they ought to be. There was a time Abraham fell on his face and laughed about it all, Sarah laughed too, but thankfully they lived through that, and even though he was one hundred years old when Sarah conceived, God was faithful to His promise. Hebrews 11:12 ​​And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. Abraham walked by faith. He laughed a little along the way, but still He believed. What are you believing for today that you aren’t seeing? Trust and know that God sees. His plan for your life IS good. His timing is perfect. His ways are SO above our own. We can’t see the big picture, but when we walk by FAITH and believe in the promises of God, we are BLESSED and in our heart, things ARE as they ought to be. Receive this blessing today and believe in the promises of God for your life. Numbers 6:24-26 The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. This blessing of God’s people is called “the Aaronic benediction” asking God to delight in His people and show them favor. God’s favor leads to peace. This isn’t a life without pain, struggle, death or war, this is a heart that believes in a God who IS faithful to His promises even when things around us are not as they ought to be. That’s the truth. May the Lord bless you and keep you as you trust IN Him and walk each day, by faith. I’m Lori Cline.