My Lord and My God

"Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:27-29

Have you ever doubted before? I don't doubt that you have. Whether you doubt your children will behave on a long car trip, or you doubt you will ever get married, or you doubt you will ever be happy again or you even may doubt in God himself. That's a lot of doubt in one sentence. There also my be a lot of doubt in your own heart and life.

Thomas, one of Jesus' disciples doubted Jesus' resurrection and reappearance before the other disciples. He was absent the day Jesus miraculously revealed himself from the dead to the other apostles. So, his first instinct was to doubt and maybe think, "No, Jesus is not going to show up for me." Do you ever think these thoughts?

I've had my own share of doubts recently. I felt myself even turning from God instead of running toward Him and His word. That was such an odd feeling for me. In my distress I created distance between me and God and turned away from him, because I thought he had abandoned me because I was going through trying times.

I like Thomas doubted that Jesus had shown up. He was there in my midst as he was among the disciples, because he promised in His word that he would never leave me nor forsake me. He never abandoned me, but I abandoned Him. I could not see Him working in my life, so I didn't believe. I was a "doubting Thomas."

I think it's normal, human nature to feel like this from time to time. The psalmist in Psalm 42:9 cried out to God, "I will say to God my rock, 'Why have You forgotten me?'" Yet, he still knows that God is his rock, the solid ground on which he stands. Later in the chapter in verse 11 he says, "Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for once again I will praise him, since his presence saves me and he is my God." His presence saves me. He is always there. I needed to be present in His word.

One day I decided to quit wallowing in my own self pity and doubt. I decided to follow my own advice and get back in the word and I came across 1 Peter 1:6-9 which says, "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

I did not see him physically but in that moment I saw him show back up in my life and many days following as my faith was being built back up. I felt his presence once again. You see God had never left me. He was seeing if my faith was genuine. He needed me to believe without seeing. He knew I needed to walk by faith and not by sight. He was refining my faith, polishing it, testing it with fire... and the result? Well, the result was that my faith led me to praise, glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ and is much stronger than before.

This all being the reason for why I haven't written a blog in a while. But God had some work to do on me first and now I can share this with you all and bring glory to God.

In Thomas' story Jesus came back a week later and revealed himself to him. He not only revealed himself physically but he also showed him the sacrifice made for him and for all those who believe. "Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.'”

If we stop to notice we will see that Jesus is showing his love for us through his nail scarred hands and his pierced side. If only we could see by faith and focus on the fact that He loved us so much that he sacrificed His life for us.

Just like Thomas I missed him the first time around when my faith was weak and I couldn't see him, so I doubted.

Once Jesus came back and appeared before Thomas and when he had put his fingers where the nails were and his hands on his pierced side what more could he say than, "My Lord and My God"?

After some refining and a little polishing of my faith, Jesus revealed himself once again to me and reminded me of his sacrifice and said, "do not disbelieve, but believe" and my only response could be, "My Lord and My God."

Jesus told Thomas, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” He's talking about you and me. Those of us that do not physically see Him but believe through faith. What a wonderful thing to walk by faith. We are truly blessed.

We may doubt, no we're going to doubt sometimes in our lives, because well, it's life and life can be hard. Even Jesus said in this life we will have troubles. But if we keep looking for Jesus to show up in our lives and keep our sights on Him and His word and if we remember his sacrifice, we are truly blessed and He will sit our feet back on solid ground. He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Is there a pit of despair and doubt that you need Jesus to lift you from? Let Him set your feet on the solid ground of your faith in Christ once again as Psalm 42:11 says. "He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along."

You know, Thomas gets a bad rap. He's forever known as "doubting Thomas", but the story doesn't end with his doubt, but in his belief. It ends in him proclaiming that Jesus is Lord and God. I think we should start calling him Believing Thomas.

Let your story end on your belief in Jesus as the one true Lord of your life, as well. Let Jesus reveal himself to you, scarred hands, pierced side and all, showing you His love through His sacrifice and do not disbelieve, but believe. Could your answer be anything other than, "My Lord and My God"?

"Blessed are those who have not seen but believe."