Selah List for November 16, 2009 - Not Seeing, Yet Believe
November 23rd, 2009
My husband believes that 'unbelief' can have a supernatural edge to it. This may sound a little strange, but as I was once again reading about the disciple Thomas, I thought that, certainly, unbelief can present a huge partition between us and the Lord.
In John 20, verses 19-29, we read that Jesus appears to the disciples after He has resurrected. They are behind closed doors, and all of a sudden He is in the room with them, and says to them 'Peace to you'. We read that they are understandably filled with ecstatic joy.? It's a very important moment because a couple of things are on the agenda for this meeting. He breathes on them, and says 'Receive the Holy Spirit' and goes on to commission them, for their upcoming ministry.? The beginning of the church age is almost upon them. This
is a moment of conception, a moment of equipping.? However, the question to be asked is this. 'Where in the world is Thoma'??
Of course the disciples waste no time in telling him of this event, and this is where his unbelief is showcased.? He is adamant, 'Unless I see in His hands, the marks made by the nails and put my finger into the nail prints, and put my hand into His side, I WILL NEVER BELIEVE'.
What I love about this account, is that Jesus doesn't write Thomas off because of his vehement unbelief. Rather He gives him another opportunity, and shows up again behind closed doors. This time Thomas is present, and Jesus invites him to test out His existence as One raised from the dead. Thomas is overwhelmed and cries out with, no doubt, intense realization 'My Lord and My God!'
Jesus goes on to address this painful unbelief, and quite simply, as the amplified bible puts it. 'Stop your unbelief and believe'.? He also goes on to say 'Blessed will those be, who have not seen, yet believe'.
We are of those who are the 'Blessed'. We have not seen Him in the flesh, but we have surely experienced His love, pouring into us, and over us, overwhelmingly at times, and we too have said by revelation, 'My Lord and my God'.
The Newsboys, have a song called 'In the hands of God.'? The lyrics talk about the seemingly fragile dreams we have as his children, for seeing our cities being freed and transformed, and yet we stumble over the trials of life, and wrestle with the unseen.? It's true, that when we don't see the positive outcome to our fragile, yet God given dreams, and hopes, unbelief is there, lurking in the shadows, ever ready to swallow up the very dreams that the Lord has deposited in us.? We begin to feel barren and unfruitful. Unbelief has had its way.? Yet there is a place we can run into.? 'The hands of God'.? As we take hold of His hands, and feel yet again His nearness and reassurance, we can take up those dreams and one more time, say 'I believe, help my unbelief'.
History says that Thomas went on to evangelize India. He endured a rather horrific martyr's death. He knew, however, who He had believed in, no doubt aware, that Jesus had come and given him a second chance, to see Him, and come into belief, so that the gospel of the kingdom could be preached through him.? Maybe this week, unbelief is trying to crowd out your God given dreams.
May I prayerfully suggest, as I do to myself also, that we deliberately choose to fall into the hands of God, and as the chorus of this song says
'In the hands of God, we will fall,
Rest for the restless, and the weary,
Hope for the sinner.
In the hands of God, we stand tall,
Hands that are mighty to deliver
Giving us FREEDOM!'
Think on these things
Blessings on you and your household
Janet.
Entry Filed under: Pastor Janet's Selah List
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