Have you ever prayed like this? Have you had one of those days when you found yourself wondering aloud, “What’s going on God? I’m feeling kind of lonely down here and could really use some help! Are you listening to me? Do you still care?"

For Habakkuk, it seemed as if God had changed his phone number and left no forwarding address! Without making light of our crisis or denying the depth of our anguish, faith responds to our panic instinct and our feelings of dread with a calm word of assurance: “I know how you feel but, with all due respect, God still IS! The Great ‘I AM’ is still good, still with you, and still for you!”

Often without even realizing it, we live by the unspoken creed: Feeling is Fact. I feel alone; therefore, I am alone. I feel inadequate; therefore, I cannot succeed. I feel weak; therefore, I cannot achieve. I feel outnumbered; therefore, I am destined for defeat. I feel despised; therefore, I am not loved. I feel ashamed; therefore, I cannot be forgiven. I feel stupid; therefore, I must be doing the wrong thing.

We walk by faith, not by sight. Jesus is Lord; our feelings are not. Our feelings are real but not always based on the truth of what really is ~ that is, on reality. So, God tells the discouraged prophet to write down the vision so he can SEE it and refer back to it often!

Vision is sight. Specifically, it is the ability to see GOD in all of your circumstances. Faith makes sure that your assessment of any situation never leaves God out of the equation. For when you add God to your outlook, the Promised Land becomes visible ~ and reachable again!