I'LL BELIEVE IT WHEN I SEE IT!

“I’ll believe it when I see it!” Have you said that lately? Other people don’t always tell the truth. Sadly, people say things that they don’t mean. Sometimes, people lie to us. You can’t believe everything people say. We learn to say, “I’ll believe it when I see it!” 

Here’s the problem: Sometimes, we say those words to God. God isn’t like us people. God doesn’t lie. God doesn’t change his mind. Yet, we sometimes treat God like he’s just another person. We don’t believe him. We say, “I’ll believe it when I see it!”

That’s what Jesus’ disciple Thomas said after Jesus rose from the dead. It sounded too good to be true. Even though Jesus had told his disciples many times that he was going to rise from the dead, Thomas didn’t believe it. Even after his friends saw Jesus on Easter evening, Thomas still didn’t believe it. He said, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands…, I will not believe” (John 20:25). In other words, “I’ll believe it when I see it!”

So Jesus did a wonderful thing for Thomas: He let Thomas see him. The next Sunday night, Jesus appeared to his disciples again, and this time he made sure that Thomas was with them. He let Thomas see the nail marks in his hands. He showed Thomas that it was really him. He was really alive! Finally, Thomas believed and said, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).

Jesus said, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). Blessed are those who don’t need to see to believe. You can trust Jesus. When Jesus says something, it’s always true.

Jesus promises that he is with us always. Is that true, even though we can’t see him? Yes! Jesus says that he has prepared special rooms for us in heaven. Is that true, even though we can’t see them? Yes! Jesus says that he has washed away all our sins. Is that true? Yes! Faith is believing in what we can’t see. We don’t need to see it to believe it. We trust Jesus’ words!

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you for gently taking away Thomas’ doubts about your resurrection. When we doubt too, use your Word to convince us that we don’t need to see it to believe it. Amen.

Pastor Nathan