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| TUESDAY | April 13 |
The dejected young officer kicked a small stone in the dry, desert sand. His mother was to undergo surgery for breast cancer. The demands of the military operational schedule would not allow him to return to be at her side. With a tinge of anger and rebellion, he asked, “Why? Why? Why?” He had been praying for faith and, in these moments, when things were not going as he wanted, when his prayers weren’t answered as he had hoped, he found his faith waning. The darkness of doubt crept into his soul and, for a few moments, he wondered if God existed at all. Then as the sun rose, and the beauty of the dawn filled the sky, his mind went to some verses in the Bible, to a story that he had known since childhood, and as he dwelt upon that story, his faith returned. However difficult it was for him to understand about things, however hard it was for him to see the reasons for what had happened, he pressed on ahead, trusting and loving His Lord Jesus.
Read John 20:24–29. What does this story say to you? How often do you need to believe without seeing? Why is that such an important aspect of what it means to exercise faith?
After Jesus patiently and tenderly revealed His wounds to Thomas, Thomas acknowledged “My Lord and my God” (vs. 28). The text that stuck in the young military officer’s mind was: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed (vs. 29, NKJV).” This was indeed the key—to believe without seeing; to take God at His word without insisting on “proof.” After all, for some folk, all the “proof” in the world will not convince them to believe. Living by faith is, then, going on what we already know of God’s love; it means trusting God based on what we have already experienced; it means taking Him at His word because He has shown us His goodness and love—no matter how difficult our circumstances are and no matter how much we do not see or understand.
When was the last time you needed to act on faith without seeing? What happened? What did you learn from that experience that could help others who might be facing a similar situation? If you had it to do over, what would you have done differently, and why?
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