While I was reading my son a section in his Bible, a thought popped in my mind.

Is this all real? While it was brief and I was certainly assured that it was, I was a bit startled.

Have you ever wondered? Have you ever doubted? Have you ever felt like this is too much and could it possibly be true?

As Christians, having those thoughts is often accompanied by a sense of guilt. A sense of wonder or confusion. We may have these thoughts and think it is not possible to really believe in God and wonder or doubt if this is all real?

Jesus understands. In fact, He wasn’t afraid to clear this matter up with one of His close companions. And guess what? It came with no accompanying guilt.

We can come off this mountaintop of joy after Easter. We are ready to celebrate and are encouraged to get moving in our journey of faith. Then life creeps in and we can wonder or have doubts if we are the person for the job.

So, if you have ever wondered or had doubts if this is real (I am going to guess that maybe all of us have at some point) then let’s dive into John 20.

What has just occurred in John is the women went to the empty tomb, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and then the disciples.

I want to remind you before we go any further that the disciples were hiding behind locked doors because they were afraid.

Christ had been crucified and now He was missing from the tomb.  The reality of what was in front of them was the leader they had been following and riding all their hopes on, was gone.

Can you say bundles of wonder, doubt and fear must have been sweeping through their emotions? I can’t imagine the physical and emotional trauma they must have been feeling.  But then…

Jesus appears and shows them His hands and side. He greets them with, “Peace be with you!” And they are overjoyed.

But one was missing. One didn’t have his fears or doubts calmed. Before we are too hard on Thomas, remember Jesus showed the others right away. He knew they had fears (they were behind locked doors) and His greeting of peace meant He knew they needed them calmed.

When Thomas arrived with the other disciples, they were overjoyed and exclaimed, we have seen the Lord! But Thomas…

But he said to 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.” John 20:26b

I will not believe. Have you ever said, unless God shows me this… Or… if God could only let me know or see this… Or… If only I could see a miracle, then…

John tells us a week later. Thomas had to wait a week to see what the others had already had eased in their minds. It must have been a very long week.

Sometimes a day, a week, a year or a decade of seeing clarity in God can eat away at us. It can eat away at our faith. The wonder, the doubts, the fears take place of the truth or reality of what the Lord is really doing in our lives.

Then the Lord appeared to Thomas and greeted Him, “Peace be with you!”

Then 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.” John 20:27

Right away, He addresses this issue of doubt. Put your finger here. See my hands. Physically see. Touch. Understand. I am and did what I said I would do.

He knows and addresses His doubt. Stop doubting and believe.

The opposite of his doubt is belief. Belief in the evidence.

Maybe you are saying to yourself. Well, if I could only see that, then I could believe. Then my doubts could be put to rest.

We don’t get the benefit of physically seeing Jesus. But listen to Jesus’ next words to Thomas.

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

Blessed are those who have not seen me and still believe. That is us who have put our trust in Him. We don’t have to see Jesus to believe. We can see the evidence of His existence is so many other ways.

We have his amazing sunsets that declare His great love. We have the miracle of life as He gives us each breath we take. We have His power displayed in us through His love that we can give others. We have healing, mending, and restoring of broken hearts, bodies and lives.

As we walk and put our trust in Him more and more, He becomes more evident in the grace and mercy that he pours into our lives.

We are on this side of the cross and get the benefit of walking in grace and not under the law. We are the recipients of His blessings, goodness, and faithfulness through the generations.

Wonder, doubt, and fear are all a part of the process of putting our trust in Christ more while stacking them up against the truth and evidence He has displayed in our lives.

When those thoughts creep in, we can replace them with the truth of what we know to be true of God.

When time, circumstances, and feelings make us weary we can hand them over to Him for the same encouragement He gave to Thomas. Here is the proof. Stop doubting and believe.

Christ didn’t rebuke Thomas. He said, put out your hand. Take hold of me and Believe!

Does doubt creep in?

Following Jesus’ example. Here is a simple exercise to replace doubt with belief in your life. We are going to replace the lies and doubt with truth.  First, ask God to reveal some solid truths and evidences of His work in your life. (If you are a believer in Christ, that is miracle number one). Keep a list. A physical reminder of the ways God has shown up in your life. When doubt creeps in, ask God to replace the doubts with the truths you have recorded. Trust and Believe that His words are meant for you.

Let me know how using this exercise goes. What other ideas do you have and use when doubts and fears creep in? Let us know in the comments below. Need More encouragement. Feel free to email me!