Chapter 5 was titled "Balancing Faith and Sight" and the key verse was Colossians 1:16 which talks about how even the things we can't see were created by God.
For anyone who's seen "When in Rome" the idea of a pitch black restaurant is pretty easy to imagine, (if you haven't seen it, rent it/netflix it/whatever - it's really cute, fairly cheesy and very clean!) though very creepy in a comical way. In the case of the chapter's analogy, the servers are all blind and totally comfortable in their pitch black surroundings. They've had to put their trust in basically anyone but themselves for alot of things and therefore they aren't phased at all by not being able to see or control what's around them.
Romans 1:20 (and 21 & 22) Paul talks about how even those that choose not to live for God, know that there is a God. One of my favorite verses in highschool (while doing several missions trips and outreach events) was Romans 1:21 - For although they knew God, they did not glorify Him and their thinking became futile and hearts darkened. (total paraphrase!) And that's so true. How many relatives and friends do you have that will talk to you about your faith, support your church endeavors, but never apply any of it to themselves?
Section 2 reminds us in Psalm 145:4 that we're called to pass on our faith. Our witness is evidence of God's power and faithfulness.
Section 3 quotes Colossians 1:16 again. Sheila Walsh is quoted in saying -
"It is easy to believe that God can use our lives when we see immediate results, when positive feedback encourages us to push on. It is hard to keep walking when we see little sign that what we are doing makes a difference."
The thing is, all creation, everything we see and can not see is created by God, and since we can not see everything, we can not possibly see the results of all of our actions. And, since everything was created by God, there is a purpose for everything, because everything was created for Him.
Taken directly from the book-
"Christianity requires many of us to ignore the evidence of our eyes. Instead we learn to rely on other senses to navigate. We trust an unseen God to gently push us in the right direction. We tune our ears to the Spirit's promptings. We walk according to the wisdom of the Word. We put out trust in unseen realities."
Section 4 through 6 use Job 17:15, Hebrews 11:1 and 2 Corinthians 5:7 to remind us that by trusting in God all things are possible, as nothing is impossible for Him. (cue WOW song and motions!)
"Prayer isn't magic. Jesus did not come to make our suffering disappear in an instant. Instead He came to fill it with His presence."
- Barbara Johnson
Section 7 orders us (through Psalm 31:14 and 73:28) to
1) Trust in God
2) Get close to God
3) Declare His works
The "Digging Deeper" verses for this chapter are
Psalm 10:17
Psalm 77:1
and
Isaiah 65:24
"We walk by faith and not by sight"
2 Corinthians 5:7
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