Do Not Disbelieve, But Believe
We do not seek God arbitrarily. We seek him because he has shown himself faithful, good, wise, strong, and divine. Of course, he is God whether we see/experience him or not, but God is not one to hide his works. They are on display. In worshipping God, we are responding to what he has done.
Sometimes we feel guilty for needing affirmation of God’s works before we worship or seek him. There is a high value placed on worshipping God without seeing evidence of his worthiness. There is a difference between blind acceptance and forgetting the things we have experienced that prove his God-ness.
I often think of Gideon (Judges 6:36-40). He was called by God to lead an army against a huge enemy nation. He asked for a sign multiple times before he signed up for the job. We might criticize his lack of faith, but I think he was doing the right thing. God does not seem to be offended by his need to see some evidence.
I think of the disciple Thomas in John 20:24-29. He was struggling to believe that Jesus really was resurrected from the grave. None of the other disciples seemed to have a problem believing, but Thomas was stuck. Instead of shaming him for his lack of faith, Jesus showed up and let Thomas touch the wounds and scars. John 20:27 ESV says, “Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.’”
Many of us reading this have already encountered him in his faithfulness and his glory. It might have been hours ago or decades ago, but we all have a story of God’s power in our lives. I’m guessing if you retrace your steps, you’ll find an encounter moment where everything changed.
God doesn’t expect us to follow him without cause. Even in John 14:11 ESV, Jesus says to his disciples, “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.” Jesus offered works that affirmed his identity as the Son of God.
We do not have the great privilege of walking with Jesus in the flesh today. We might not see the Angel of the Lord like Gideon, but God’s works are on display in our lives. Furthermore, his Holy Spirit is alive and active in our lives. In addition to witnessing God’s miraculous works, we have his abiding presence walking with us and speaking to us in every moment.
Before you go into a devotional routine today, I want to challenge you to ask God to reveal himself. There is no pressure, but there is an invitation. I think God wants to reveal himself in deeper ways to us today. I don’t know about you, but I’m excited to see what God will do!
Amen.
Did you take on the challenge today? What did you hear or experience? Encourage another believer in the comments.
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