John 20:24-29
But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

What was that week like for Thomas? Did he wonder if it could really be true? Did he wrestle with it and agonize over it? Was he afraid to get his hopes up? Sometimes faith is hard. Matters of faith can be difficult to wade through. The evidence is there. The witness is there. The truth is there. But then we’re just not quite sure. Sometimes it’s hard to take that step over the line from doubt into belief.

I love how real the Bible is, because it depicts people as they are. No one is perfect, just perfectly human, as we all are. Surely all of us have had doubts in our walk with the Lord. Does God love me? Does He care? Will He help? Is He real? Can I trust Him? Can I believe what seems too good to be true? Would He really do something so impossible? How can it be?

But I love how Jesus responds. He comes again when Thomas is there. He offers him exactly what he said it would require for him to believe. At the heart of it, really, He simply wants to build Thomas’ faith, for him to know so surely that when it comes to what Jesus has said and what Jesus has done, he doesn’t have to doubt. That’s an important lesson that we all must learn. Jesus says that those who believe without seeing are blessed, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. As we strive to walk by faith and not by sight, let us ask the Lord to help us surrender our doubts so that we can rest in His truth.