Be Still, Advent Day 11: The God of the Unseen Reality.

“…He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not,” Romans 4:17

“….Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left,” 2 Kings 4:7

Romans 4:17 paints a picture of God’s creative power—He speaks, and reality forms.It’s one of those verses that grab you, and you want to jump online to see how it’s worded in at least 15 different versions:

“… the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not,” NIV.

“…the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.”  NLT

“…God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did,” NKJV

I can remember getting the JC Penny Wish book in the mail when we were little.. and there were jewelry boxes, and dolls and velvet doll dresses, and new shoes — and I wanted all the things…

And it wasn’t going to happen. But I do remember, cutting out the picture of the music box, and putting it on my dresser — as if this little act was making it real. I could see it — I could touch it — even if it was a tiny piece of paper…If only I knew then about the double-slit experiement.

Fast Forward to the Double Slit Experiment

So, many years later, I learned — through my son’s high school physic’s classes, about the “Double Slit Experiment.”

There are a lot of crazy things happening in the quantum world. And, seriously, it shouldn’t ben any surprise that the same God who created the world, would also be in charge of the invisible laws that run our universe — and quantum physicis? And that he would echo those laws in scripture?

The famous double-slit experiment reveals the same principle found in Romans 4:17. What we focus on shapes our reality. The implications? Profound.

What is the Double Slit Experiment?

I will not go deep — you can watch a video for a full breakdown — but basically– scientists found that when particles are observed — as in simply watching them — they behave differently. By watching the particles, you literally change how they behave. Like faith, the unseen possibilities collapse into reality based on what you choose to focus on.

You Have Infinite Ways to See the World — With God and Without Him

Like the double-slit experiment, life presents two possibilities—the seen and the unseen. With a view of the world with faith — and a view of the world without faith. One pathway depends on human logic; the other calls for trust in the unseen. Abraham didn’t see evidence that Sarah would bear children, but through his faith, he rearranged the way the tiny particles, atoms and molecules moved — in a way that defied reality — and a baby was born. The tension lies in the gap between Abraham’s present reality and God’s promise. Faith became the bridge. Abraham had to believe in what he couldn’t see, trusting that God’s word would collapse the invisible and visible gap.

At the smallest level of reality, particles (like electrons) behave like waves of possibility. They exist everywhere and nowhere at once—until someone observes them. Once observed, the particle’s potential “collapses” into a single, visible state.

Did you catch that? Reality shifts when it’s observed. What was invisible potential becomes visible reality. Sound familiar? It’s a concept embedded in Romans 4:17—God’s ability to call what does not yet exist into existence. Faith works in the same rhythm: seeing the unseen, trusting that God’s promise is as real as the particles we can’t yet see.

The Widow’s Oil

Let’s expand on the concept of “calling things that are not as though they were” using another powerful Old Testament story: the widow with a little oil in 2 Kings 4:1–7. Like Abraham’s faith in Romans 4:17, this narrative reveals how God works in ways that defy logic, turning lack into abundance. A widow of a prophet cries out to Elisha, says her husband is dead, she’s in debt, and creditors are threatening to take her sons as slaves. Her situation seems hopeless.

When Elisa asked her what she had said, she answered,  “Nothing at all, except a small jar of oil.” That word—except—is the turning point. Elisha tells her to gather empty jars from her neighbors, shut the door, and pour the oil into the jars.

We know that the oil keeps flowing until every jar is full, and the widow sells it to pay her debts and live on the rest. A miracle of provision. But why did God choose this method? What does it teach us about faith?

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Sometimes, God doesn’t start with abundance. He starts with what you already have, even if it seems ridiculously small. A jar of oil. Five loaves and two fish. A shepherd boy with a sling. Time and time again, the Bible shows us that God doesn’t need a lot to do a lot.

It’s counterintuitive. But, when in need, we tend to focus on what we don’t have. The widow in 2 Kings 4:2 was no different. “Nothing at all, except…” Yet that “except” was enough. God called her tiny jar of oil into abundance. Her faith—manifested by her willingness to gather jars and pour the oil—became the bridge between her lack and God’s provision.

When she observed the jar or oil differently — the molecules and particles expanded.

The oil didn’t multiply because the widow had a stockpile hidden away. It multiplied because God’s word went forth. Her act of faith and the way she observed them—gathering jars and pouring oil—was the catalyst for the miracle. By the end of the story, she wasn’t just surviving; she was thriving, with enough to pay her debts and live on the rest.

And whether it’s an expensive jewelry box or jar of oil, that’s the end; we’re working toward a life shaped by God’s provision, where faith opens the door for miracles. But it starts with what you already have, even if it’s as small as a jar of oil.

The widow’s situation changed when she changed how she observed what she had.  She stopped seeing the oil as “not enough” and started seeing it as something God could use. That shift in perspective—her “observation” —opened the door for the oil to multiply.

The widow’s story and the double-slit experiment show us that how we observe something changes its reality. In faith, we look at our small jars of oil—our limited resources, opportunities, or abilities—not as “nothing at all” but as seeds for God’s abundance.