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John 20:27-29

²⁷Then 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." ²⁸Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" ²⁹Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Thomas wasn't with the disciples the first time Jesus appeared to them. Even after hearing the others' testimony, he refused to believe. He told them, "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." John 20:25 What was wrong with Thomas? I think it was the same thing that was wrong with the disciples before Jesus appeared. He didn't want his heart to hope again, only to find it not true. Jesus understands our fragile hearts. Thomas once encouraged the disciples to go and die with Jesus. Now he needs encouragement to even believe their testimony.

When Jesus appeared, He showed that He knew what Thomas' had said. "Go ahead; do it. Touch the wounds. Quit doubting and believe!" Thomas made a confession that none of the others had made. "My Lord and My God." He was saying, "Not only are You my master, but you are my God." He gives us the evidence we need. What we do with it then is up to our will. Thomas took it all the way to India and died a martyr. To this day, the most common male name in Southern India is Thomas.

Jesus told him that those who believe without seeing are blessed. God is pleased with faith. Faith is believing the unseen. You and I have never seen Jesus with our eyes, and yet He has shown many of us in ways that require less faith than others. If you are struggling to find faith, believe the testimony of so many others who believed without seeing. That faith will bring a blessing with it. But if you cannot find the faith to believe, tell Him about it. If you are honest and sincere, He will meet you in a way that will help you come to faith. He will give you a heart that dares to hope.

Consider: God will give you whatever it will take for you to believe. What will you do with it when He does?