October 9, 2025

Thursday, October 9, 2025  
Look Again: Faith Beyond the Illusion  
But against all illusion and fantasy and empty talk,  
There’s always this rock foundation: Fear God!  
Ecclesiastes 5:7, Message  

Have you ever trusted your eyes, only to find out later they fooled you?  

That’s exactly what happened during a visit to the Museum of Illusions with our granddaughters. One room tilted the floor so steeply it looked like we might slide right off. In another, mirrors stretched us tall as trees or shrank us small as dolls. The best trick was a ledge only two inches wide that made it appear we were dangling three stories high by our fingertips while another clung to our feet.  

We howled with laughter until our oldest granddaughter blurted out, “Wow, How did they do that? I guess I can’t always trust what I see!” Her words spoke like a mini-sermon.  

Life plays the same tricks on us. A setback can feel permanent. A smiling friend hides their deep, private pain. Advertisements promise happiness that never delivers. What we see isn’t always Truth.  

But God sees what we can’t. He looks past appearances to the heart. He works behind the scenes, beyond our vision, and always weaving His purposes for good.   

Faith calls us to look again. Not with anxious eyes, but with trust. When the world shouts one thing, we check it against God’s Word and ways and the character of our loving Father.   

Fear, or revere, God! For His truth is deeper than appearances.  

Reflect  Where might you be relying only on what you see instead of trusting what God is doing behind the scenes?  

Pray  Lord, open my eyes of faith. When my vision is clouded by fear or distraction, remind me that You see the full picture. Teach me to rest in Your steady truth, even when appearances mislead. Amen.  

By His Grace  
Gloria Ashby  
Lay Leader