Asking for proof before you believe something, can stop you from receiving what God wants you to accept based on His Word. Thomas watched Jesus die. That's hard evidence to refute. As a result, Thomas decided to believe only what he could see and verify. When your faith's been shaken, you're inclined to cling to things that are practical, absolute and tangible. Jesus graciously gave Thomas the proof he needed, and said, 'You believe because you have seen ... Blessed are those who believe without seeing.' The fact remains, however, that if Thomas hadn't been permitted to see and touch Jesus, it wouldn't have changed the reality of the resurrection one iota. Thomas' problem wasn't lack of faith, it was misdirected faith. He trusted only what he could process on a human level. Sound familiar?
By contrast, when Mary Magdalene met Jesus at the tomb, He told her, 'Don't touch Me ... But go find My brothers and tell them' (Jn 20:17 TLB). Mary once washed Jesus' feet with her tears and dried them with her hair; touch was important to her. And touching Jesus at that moment would have confirmed what she'd seen and heard. This time, however, Jesus asked her to trust His Word and not His flesh; to be willing to testify without a touch.
Sometimes we feel 'the touch of God' calming us, strengthening us and reassuring us that He is still in control. The truth is, His touch has often kept us from giving up or going over the edge. But sometimes He asks us to trust Him without the crutch of sensory perception. That's faith at its highest level.
This message comes from "The Word for Today" UCB Australia.
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