Mid-week Devotional – April 27, 2022
Behind Locked Doors
“Peace be with you,” John 20:19
Read:
'One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” ' John 20:24-29
Reflect:
Today’s reading is a snapshot of a bigger story. To add context, Jesus, the one for whom the disciples left their families and livelihoods to follow for three (3) years, was gone. Jesus was their hope to overthrow Roman rule but he died by crucifixion in a very public way. They were certain (because they had physically seen it) that he was dead. They were terrified that they were next so they locked themselves in a room in fear.
Jesus finds them there. He presents Himself to His disciples so that they could see Him in His new resurrected form. They needed a fresh revelation of Him in order to fulfill their purpose. For whatever reason Thomas was not there and when the others told him of the miracle they witnessed he was unable to process this new information. So he declared that “ “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”
We beat up on Thomas all the time. But I’m not sure many of us would think or feel differently if we were in Thomas’ position. So what’s the lesson here? Two things come to mind.
First, in Thomas’ doubt he did not forsake his friends or the path he had chosen. Thomas in the midst of his grief could have given up and walked away. Perhaps he could have gone back to the family he left behind. Instead he stayed even in his doubt and petitioned God to show him the evidence.
The next thing that stands out is that when Jesus appears to them the second time, he greets them “peace be unto you” then he addresses Thomas’ concern, not with chastisement but with gentleness. Doesn’t it give you great peace to know God is interested in answering our questions or at the very least speaking peace to the tumults in our hearts caused by unanswered questions? I know it does for me.
Behind Locked Doors…
Today, behind locked doors, you may have doubts of your own. There are questions that invade your thoughts and disturb your rest. These questions may cause you to doubt whether you belong to Christ or not. I want to reassure you. You are not disqualified from His presence. God is not afraid of nor is He intimidated by your questions. He provides an open invitation to bring your doubt to Him.
Scripture actually says: ‘If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking ‘ James 1:5. Another translation of the same verse puts it beautifully; ‘And if anyone longs to be wise, ask God for wisdom and he will give it! He won’t see your lack of wisdom as an opportunity to scold you over your failures but he will overwhelm your failures with his generous grace. ‘ James (Jacob) 1:5
So I encourage you to present your doubts to God, ask Him the tough questions and be open to receiving an answer. He will replace your doubt with wisdom. He promised He would and He cannot lie.
Song of the Week:
Journal Prompt:
What doubt have you locked behind the doors of your heart?
Pray:
Peace Maker, God who sees me. I present my box of doubts to you. You have seen the mess in my mind. You have seen my struggle to see beyond this cloud of doubt. Release me into wisdom. You said I should ask. So here I am Lord, asking you to show me the way through. In Jesus name. AMEN
Affirmation:
I will not be afraid to cast my doubts before God. He promised to give wisdom and I will receive it.
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Have a great week!
See you next week for another Devotional by Lady Kavan.
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