Seeing is Believing

“Seeing is believing,” says the old adage. Another adage counsels us to “Believe only half of what you see and nothing that you hear.” Missouri claims to be the “Show Me” state. The disciple Thomas said, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” In a world where lying and deception abound, it is wise to be cautious. God gave us our five senses so that we can detect what is good and real, or a cheap imitation.

Thomas eventually saw and believed, and Jesus gave Thomas an admonition intended for all of us, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29) Peter, who was the first disciple to believe and confess that Jesus was the Christ, wrote, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” (1 Peter 1:8)

There are things that require us to believe without seeing. Our five senses are good for discerning material things, but spiritual things require a sixth sense, called faith. Faith is the ability to see into the spiritual realm. It is “…the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) It grows stronger through exercise. We start out by believing the message that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and it grows by believing that, “He ever lives to intercede for us.” (Hebrews 5:25) When Jesus walked on earth, he could be seen, heard and touched, but now that he is in heaven, we must see him through eyes of faith, there at the right hand of God, praying for us, loving us through the Father, comforting and strengthening us through the Holy Spirit who is always with us.

Lord, open the eyes of our hearts, so that we can see you praying for us continually, loving us and not accusing us, and living in us to empower us to love others as you love us.