Faith Sees First

This year, our Annual Clergy Conference and Diocesan Assembly are taking place in Haverhill, MA. When we had our Badarak at the beautiful sanctuary of the Holy Archangels Armenian Church, last Thursday, memories came flooding back, memories of when that church was just a dream: a plot of land, a concrete slab, a promise in the making.

I remember standing there with Der Vart, when there was nothing visible yet—no altar, no baptismal font, no sanctuary filled with worshipers. But he didn’t see what was missing; he saw what was coming. He spoke with faith: "Here will be the altar. Here will be the sanctuary."

Friends, every great blessing starts as a vision. A dream in your heart long before anyone else sees it. Long before you stand in the finished building, you have to see it in your heart. Long before the dream comes to life, you have to believe it when it’s still just a whisper.

Vision is the lens that enables us to see God’s purpose, even when we’re standing on bare concrete. It’s what gives us hope in seasons of waiting and keeps us moving forward when we see nothing but an unfinished structure.

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the confidence in what we hope for, and assurance about what we do not see.” That means your faith is the blueprint, even before the structure is built. Your faith is the evidence before you see the miracle. It’s the confidence in God’s promises, even before we see them completed.

Maybe you’re looking at your life today, and all you see are empty spaces. Maybe there are plans that feel incomplete, dreams that seem unfinished, or blessings that feel just out of reach. But remember this: God has already marked the spot where His altar of blessing will stand in your life. He’s already placed the foundation of His grace.

So don’t get discouraged while waiting. Let your faith be louder than your fear. Let your hope be bigger than your hesitation. And let your heart stay open, because the God who started the work… will be faithful to complete it.