“Then [Jesus] said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand here in my side. Stop being an unbeliever and believe.’Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” John 20:27-28 (NCV)
When life gets difficult, sometimes your struggles can leave you full of doubts. You might doubt God’s goodness, his power, or even his love. In times like that, Jesus wants to help you believe. He did that with Thomas after the resurrection.
The Bible says, “Thomas . . . was not with them when Jesus came. The other followers kept telling Thomas, ‘We saw the Lord.’But Thomas said, ‘I will not believe it until I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were and put my hand into his side.’
“A week later the followers were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came in and stood right in the middle of them. He said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand here in my side. Stop being an unbeliever and believe.’Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:24-28 NCV).
I love that story. In the first place, I like Thomas because he’s honest about his doubts. He doesn’t pretend or automatically accept what other people tell him. He wants to check it out for himself.
Many people have the wrong perception of doubt; they think doubt is always negative. But the truth is, doubt is not a bad thing. Doubt is good if it motivates you to investigate. When in doubt, check it out.
The second thing I like about Thomas is that, even though he has doubts, he still hangs out with believers. If you’ve got doubts about God, the Bible, or Jesus, stay in the company of believers—that’s right where you need to be.
The third thing I love about Thomas is that, when he finally sees Jesus and realizes he’s truly alive, he doesn’t let pride get in the way. He immediately says, “My Lord and my God!” He makes his decision about God given the evidence he has.
If you’re having doubts about Jesus, I want to encourage you. First, find people whose lives have been radically changed by a relationship with Jesus. You can’t deny what someone has personally experienced. Second, doubt your doubts. For some reason, we get this backwards. We tend to believe our doubts and doubt our beliefs. Doubts are meant to be doubted, and beliefs are meant to be believed.
You can come to Jesus, begin a relationship with him, be certain you’ll go to heaven, and grow in relationship with him—all without having your doubts cleared up first.
One day, a guy came to Jesus to heal his son. Jesus said to him, “Anything is possible if a person believes” (Mark 9:23 NLT). The man’s answer was honest and authentic: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24 NIV). And Jesus healed his son.
Did you know that you can say something similar to Jesus today? “I want to believe. Help me with my doubts!” And he will. He’s waiting to help you believe.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
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