Believing When You Can’t See.

Luke 8:22-25 & John 20:24-29 It is amazing to realize how much we depend on our 5 senses to determine our reality. After all, “seeing is believing”. Is it? Not necessarily in our age of “virtual reality” and “special effects”. Even so, we pretty much depend on what our senses tell us and how we “feel” about it. Jesus’ disciples had the same problem. During a storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus was asleep, and they were going to drown, and Jesus didn’t care. On waking, Jesus asked them, “Where is your faith?” When Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration with three of His disciples, the other disciples couldn’t cast out the demon because Jesus wasn’t there, and they didn’t have enough faith. When Jesus rose from the dead and Thomas heard the report of His first appearance, and Jesus told them He would be crucified and rise again; but Thomas couldn’t believe unless he could see the nail prints and put his finger into them. It’s easy to believe in general. We can believe that Jesus saves, that Jesus heals some people sometimes, that Jesus takes care of His children and even that God will meet my needs. But Can we learn to believe more specifically? For example: that Jesus can and will save me right now as I call on Him in faith or that Jesus will meet my need, at this time, in a tangible, specific way as I trust in Him or that Jesus will take care of me now, though I can’t see, feel, or sense His presence because I believe in His promise. Even though it seems that Jesus is “asleep in the boat” the truth and effectiveness of His promises are not diminished. “So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal”. 2 Cor. 4:18 God’s Word is the only standard that determines reality.