Yesterday we shared some Biblical examples of those who went from belief to the manifestation of God’s promise! The roll call included Abraham and Sarah; the citizens of Nineveh; Hannah and her son Samuel; the Centurion’s servant; and the bleeding woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. On the flip side, there are examples of those who didn’t believe until they saw. Adam and Eve ignored God’s warning not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Soon after, their eyes were opened to the reality that they would die. Lot’s wife was told that God was about to destroy Sodom and her family was to leave the city. She didn’t believe it, but then she saw the destruction only for a brief second before turning into a pillar of salt. In these cases, they saw and then believed. It is so much better to believe first, and then see. Amen? 

Roger Bannister believed the four-minute mile record could indeed be broken after the 1952 Olympics. Athletes around the world, including Olympians, never imagined anyone could run a mile in under four minutes. Two years later, Roger Bannister accomplished “the impossible.” What I love most about this story is that right after he broke the four-minute mile record, many others began to break the record as well. Why? Because prior to this, they did not believe. Roger Bannister showed them it was possible. This speaks volumes about human nature, in that we all need someone to believe in something!

Friend, it is an innate instinct to behave this way in life. People need people who believe a task can be done before they see it for themselves. Yet as Christians, we can believe before we see. I encourage you to believe first and see that dream, that vision, and that promise of God.