To Encourage You

John 20:24-29 “Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.’ Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”

If you attend a church, what do you expect when you go there?  Do you believe Jesus is there?  He’s told us that where two or three gather in His name, He is right there in their midst (Matthew 18:20).  But do we really believe that?  If people knew that there was a church service somewhere where Jesus was definitely going to “show up” in flesh and blood, do you think the attendance numbers for that particular service would rise?  How many of us, although we’ve heard that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us, and that the church of Jesus represents His very body, and that “He is with us always, even to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20), don’t really believe that or certainly don’t expect to experience Him in such a way that His presence is evident, just like if He were there in body.  How many of us are like Thomas, who when He gathered with other followers of Christ, followers who had told Him that Jesus was alive, didn’t believe it.  Like him, we aren’t impressed.  We doubt.  That’s what Thomas did. 

But then Jesus appeared to Him. Interesting that He appeared only after Thomas expressed His unbelief.  His words to Thomas demonstrated that He had already been there, although unseen, for He knew exactly what Thomas had said.  Most people in this world, like Thomas, walk by sight, not by faith. To them “seeing is believing” and nothing short of that will engender belief. Yet Jesus said to Thomas – and us – “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 

“Have not seen what?” – we might ask.  Have not seen exactly what Thomas had not seen when he doubted, the risen Christ.  What blessings we forfeit when we doubt the Word of God, when we doubt the presence of Jesus, when we doubt that He knows exactly what we are going through, and that He will never forsake us, no matter what.  In the words of the well-known hymn “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”  More than that, all because we don’t really believe what He has said to us about so much. 

Do we really believe He is present in the body of believers when they gather just as much as He was present in the small group of disciples who were with Thomas that day?  Do we really believe He sees us right at this moment and hears every word we say?  Are we anxious and fearful about situations in our life when the very God Who created the universe is right there with us, ready and willing to help us and give us wisdom if we would just ask? 

May God give us the faith to believe what God has told us about so much, regardless of the fact that we don’t see.  There is great blessing in store for those who believe, really believe, what He has told us.  That belief will be demonstrated by our attitudes and actions.  Prayer won’t be a discipline that we slog through because we know we should.  Rather, it will be a wonderful anticipation of talking directly to the God of creation.  Attending church won’t be from a sense of obligation, but one of anticipation because the Jesus we say we love is actually present there, just like He said He would be.  And what a sense of peace, hope and joy would fill us as we face every possible situation in life if we really believed what Christ has told us.

God help us to believe though we don’t see, and not follow the example of Thomas, who was convinced only after Jesus showed Him his hands and side and invited Him to touch Him.  Does He really have to show us in this way that everything He has ever said to us is indeed true?  Can we take Him at His Word?  If not, why not, what reason has He ever given any of us to doubt Him?