Blessed are Those Who Have Not Seen and Yet Have Believed
Date: May 28, 2024
I use the BLESS method every morning for my devotional.
B - Bible Verse
L - Listen for God's Voice and pray
E - Explore the History and meaning
S - Study the Key Words or Phrases
S - Summarize and Share
You can read more about it by going to: What is a Faith Journal?
B - Bible Verse in NIV (John 20:29) Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
L - Listen for God's Voice and pray Heavenly Father, we come to You with grateful hearts, thanking You for the gift of faith. We pray that You would open our eyes to see Your truth and presence in our lives, even when we cannot physically see You. Help us to trust in Your love and goodness, and to walk by faith, not by sight. May our faith be a testimony to those around us, and may we experience the blessing and joy that comes from believing in You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
E - Explore the History and meaning In John 20, Jesus appears to His disciples after His resurrection. However, one of the disciples, Thomas, was not present and doubted the other disciples' account of Jesus' appearance. When Jesus appears again and invites Thomas to touch His wounds, Thomas believes and declares, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28). Jesus then makes the statement in verse 29, acknowledging Thomas' belief but also emphasizing the blessedness of those who believe without seeing.
S - Study the Key Words or Phrases
"You have seen me" - Thomas' belief was based on physical evidence and a personal encounter with the resurrected Jesus.
"Blessed are those" - Jesus pronounces a special blessing or favor on a particular group of people.
"Not seen and yet have believed" - Jesus commends those who have faith in Him without the benefit of physical proof or a direct encounter.
S - Summarize and Share Isn't it amazing how much we rely on our senses to navigate the world around us? We trust what we can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. But what happens when it comes to matters of faith? How do we believe in a God we cannot see?
In John 20:29, Jesus speaks to this very issue. He had just appeared to His disciples after His resurrection, and one of them, Thomas, had doubted the reports of Jesus' appearance. But when Jesus showed up again and invited Thomas to touch His wounds, Thomas believed and declared, "My Lord and my God!"
Jesus' response is both a gentle correction and a powerful affirmation. He says to Thomas, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." In other words, Jesus is saying that while it's great that Thomas believed after seeing physical evidence, there is a special blessing for those who believe without that kind of proof.
And that's where we come in. As followers of Jesus today, we don't have the luxury of physically seeing Him or touching His wounds. We can't sit down with Him over coffee and ask Him all our questions face to face. But that doesn't mean our faith is any less real or powerful.
In fact, Jesus says that those who believe without seeing are blessed. That means that when we choose to trust in Jesus, even when we can't see Him with our physical eyes, we are tapping into a source of joy, peace, and hope that goes beyond our circumstances.
It's not always easy, of course. There are times when doubt creeps in, when we wonder if God is really there or if He cares about what we're going through. But that's where faith comes in. Faith is choosing to believe, even when we don't have all the answers. It's trusting that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He has promised.
And here's the beautiful thing: when we walk by faith, we get to experience God's presence and power in ways we never could have imagined. We may not see Him with our physical eyes, but we can feel Him moving in our hearts and transforming our lives.
So today, if you're struggling to believe without seeing, know that you are not alone. Know that Jesus sees your faith and is ready to bless you in ways you can't even imagine. Keep trusting, keep believing, and watch as He reveals Himself to you in new and amazing ways.
3 Bible Cross References:
2 Corinthians 5:7 - "For we live by faith, not by sight."
1 Peter 1:8-9 - "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, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."