The reset button

“Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and My God!’” John 20:28

Ah, those epiphany moments, when the eyes of faith peer through the haze of doubt! Our hearts cannot conceal the joy within; our spirits leap and our frames cannot contain them.

Overtaken in his revelation moment, Thomas could not silence himself, his tongue giving voice to his heart’s awakening to Jesus as “Lord” and “God.” Similarly, though Saul had persecuted Him for years, he called Jesus, “Lord,” at the first sound of his voice. Three days later, this new believer was baptized into the faith.

But what about us who already believe? What happens when our proclamation of “Lord” languishes in doubt, when our adoration of “God” goes dry? Can we see God anew amid our distant times, and can our faith reach greater depths?

Among my favorite verses in the Bible is this short prayer of confession and petition uttered without pretense by a caring father in desperate need, “I believe; help my unbelief!”¹ Doesn't he speak for us all? How many times have we pled the same for ourselves? Yes, even we who believe can draw nearer to God in renewed faith in Christ. Surely this is the Spirit’s work in us, yet is there anything we can do to grow and thrive more in faith?

The default setting of our sinful nature is to doubt God, to distrust Him and to withdraw from Him. The Spirit, on the other hand, beckons us to renew our minds, which is part of the process of being transformed into the likeness of Christ.² Renewing our minds is like pressing a divine reset button: we stop and think, recognize our proclivity to doubt, consider God’s faithfulness, and decide to trust Him and His promises. Here are some examples of renewed-mind thinking.

“I know from the Bible that God loves me beyond measure, so I choose to rest securely in this assurance, entrust myself to His care, and be glad.”

“When I look back on my life, God's faithfulness is clear, and I know His nature does not change, so I choose to trust Him with my situation now. Thank you, God, for being so good.”

“I believe Christ gave himself for all sins, including mine. I have sinned, so the best thing for me to do is to run to Him, confess my wrong, thank him for His forgiveness and ask Him to redirect me down His path Thank you, Jesus, for loving me so much.”

“God has extended to me grace after grace after grace, so in gratitude, joy and trust, I will extend the same grace to this person who has wronged me. Thank you, God, for freeing me to love others.”

When we renew our minds, our actions follow and our lives echo the words of Thomas’ words, “My Lord and My God!”

[Read today’s Scripture in John 20:24-31.]

¹ Mark 9:24
² Romans 12:2

Why faith?

Then Jesus told [Thomas], “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

He probably didn’t coin the phrase, but Thomas was a “seeing is believing” kind of guy. Patron saint of Missouri, the “show-me” state ... at least when it came to the resurrection of the Christ. Maybe Thomas was too crushed in spirit by Jesus’ death to dare to hope again. Whatever the reason, when his closest friends reported, “We have seen the Lord!” Thomas would have nothing of their eye-witness account.

Of course, we know the rest of the story: Jesus showed himself to Thomas, yet also took the opportunity to bless those who believe without seeing. So why is it so much better in God’s eyes to believe what we do not see? What difference does it make? Why is faith – certainty of what we hope for yet cannot see – so important?

God loves us more than we can begin to imagine, much more than we love ourselves. He not only hears and answers our prayers, he blesses and cares for us in countless ways for which we never even think to ask. He defends us when we’re unaware of attack; he provides when we're clueless to our need. He convicts when we don't see our sin; he forgives when we don't know what we’re doing. God sends people into our lives before we know we need them, and he uses us to bless those around us, though we’re often oblivious to the process. God delights in us. Pure and simple. He proactively, joyfully, eagerly, infinitely delights in us.

What does any of this have to do with belief? As great as God’s love for us, so much does he want us to love him and trust him completely with every aspect of our lives. “Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres,” wrote Paul¹. Now, if we loved someone even half as purely as God loved us, how would we feel if he or she wouldn’t believe us unless we proved it on their terms? Wouldn’t we be crushed? Wouldn’t we much rather they trust and enjoy our love for them? Wouldn’t we be elated if they had experienced our love so deeply that they laid aside all fear and doubt, accepting and entrusting themselves to our love, instead? Wouldn’t this be the kind of relationship we most desired and cherished?

When we look back on our life, do we now see God's unfailing love for us? Though he is no more visible now than then, he’s not about to change his faithfulness or his character. Then what could delight God more than for us to trust him, not based upon our “prove it” litmus tests, but in the full confidence and faith that he loves us without limit and he always will.

God, just for today, I choose to believe you. I delight in you and thank you for delighting in me. I entrust all that I am to you, for you are faithful, loving and true. And when I awake to a new day tomorrow, I will believe you yet again, for your steadfast love endures forever.

[The daily reading is found in John 20:26-31.]

¹ 1 Corinthians 13:7

John 20: 24-31

Jesus Appears to Thomas

It was not until Thomas put his finger into the wound in Jesus’ hand and his hand into His side that he believed.

It’s all about FAITH.

Faith is defined as belief, confidence or trust in a person, object, religion, idea or view despite the absence of proof

Though we have God’s word in the Bible, and it is filled with prophetic passages that indeed occurred, many do not believe and will not believe until they see with their own eyes like Thomas. That moment may be too late.

There is a great peace that comes with faith. We can relax when we are sure in our heart that we can trust in certain things to happen or when we know people will follow through with things that are important to us.

Each time we go into a dark room, we trust that when we flick the switch the light will go on even though we may not know exactly how electricity works. We have faith in others when we are driving that they will indeed stop at the intersection and wait until we are through. Because of this faith and trust, we can relax and carry on with confidence.

The same is true when we have true faith in God. Our heart is at peace. We can live with the assurance that we need not worry. He has our back. He loves us. He will care for us. He will see us through no matter what.

We are reminded in Philippians 4:5-7 “Let your gentleness be evident to all The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

May God’s Peace Be With you Always

Read/Listen to John 20:24-31