William Wilberforce (1759-1833)  was a great politician in England who worked diligently for the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire.

He also worked hard for various societies that sought to alleviate suffering and spread the Gospel.

Wilberforce was a born orator, and—with the wealth left him by his father—never needed to work. He lived a life of privilege for many years.

What isn't so well known about Wilberforce are the tragedies he suffered. He was plagued with many debilitating health issues, his wife endured serious depression for many years, and one of his daughters died as a young woman.

So life for this outstanding man had many challenges.

Yet he pursued his work as a follower of Jesus without faltering.

During his lifetime he gave away all of his wealth to help the poor and suffering, and in his final years had to travel about living a month here and one there as a house guest of children or friends.

He found joy in his Christian life—in worshipping his Saviour and by constantly looking at things unseen.

Our verses today speak about joy, perseverance, and seeing the invisible One.

We can seek the invisible God by setting our minds on things above and by practicing daily prayer—by spending quiet moments away from distractions—and by reading some of the wonderful passages of Scripture about Him.

Meditating on the God Who loves us will bring us into a contented state of mind that non Christians don't know anything about.

Some passages you can start with include Psalms 23; 91; 121; Isaiah 40:9-31; John 10:1-18.

Take one of these passages, read it over several times and see how many ways our God is described.

Then take a few moments to pray and thank the Lord for being what you read in the passage you selected. Ask the Lord to show Himself to you as He was described.

This spiritual exercise will feed your faith and give you joy for sorrow.