Most of us long for miracles.  And Jesus’ perfect life, death on sinners’ behalf as the fulfillment of Passover, and His physical resurrection prove that He is willing and able to meet our greatest needs:  complete forgiveness and a new heart to trust and follow Him as our living King.  But even in the Bible, most of the journey with Jesus is lived in the moments between miracles.  In this 50-day series, we’ll consider some of those moments leading up to the next great miracle in the New Testament:  the fulfillment of Pentecost and the incredible growth of the Church.

What would you consider most foundational to your life?  At different times, I lean toward personal peace, sometimes productivity, other times closeness with my family and friends, etc.  In John 20:27, we read that the risen Lord Jesus appeared to Thomas with one foundational message:  believe.  That truly is most basic, isn’t it?  For all of us believe in someone or something as our ultimate hope.

You probably know individuals who base their life’s meaning and potential joy on their family.  If their children are happy and successful, then the parent has fulfilled their purpose and can be content.  Others put their faith in job.  Only if they exceed their quota and their colleagues think well of them can they feel fulfilled.  Of course, we could list many other objects of faith:  physical appearance, popularity, financial status, etc.

Jesus’ message to Thomas implies belief in Him:  taking His commands and promises seriously, meditating on the prophecies that He would come and how His life proved Him trustworthy, serving others as He serves us, talking to others about the changes He is making in our lives, etc.  Truly believing in Jesus overflows into every area of our lives.

I’m so glad God’s Word tells us of Jesus’ message to Thomas.  Instead, the Lord could have gone to one of the other disciples and commended them for their greater faith.  But the Lord is both compassionate and bold with the weak.  He is gentle but wants more for us, too.

When we primarily trust in ourselves, other imperfect people, or only the things we can see and understand, we will miss out on the everyday miracles of Jesus.  He intervenes in our lives to create opportunities for us to trust and serve Him.  He works through the ill-equipped to point to Himself, not them.  He reaches out to the undeserving to point to His grace, not their worth.

Believe.

I hope today’s thought and others in this series will be helpful to you as you journey with Jesus in the moments between miracles.

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