“The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he (Thomas) said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” (John 20:24-29)
It is a well-kept place; dust free with the furniture properly arranged. We take a peek in every so often just to make sure all is well and only then do we turn the lights on. We don’t dwell in this room… though we want to. We desire to stay there and even invite others in, but we can’t. Only when confronted will we even let others know the room exists. It is the place of our unbelief and it lies in the middle of our faith.
It’s the place in our heart that is furnished with those nagging questions about our knowledge, belief and hope that we just can’t seem to resolve. You know:
“Does Noah’s ark exist?”
“If it takes millions of years for light to reach earth, how can the Universe have been made… in six days?”
“If God is love, why is there so much hate?”
I have asked questions like these too, but usually not in front of others. They are the questions we hide in our heart with the lights out while we enter the church with the lights on. These are the issues we are afraid to ask for concern of what others might (will) think. Questions that appear to threaten the very center of what we say we believe. And they cause some level of anxiety because we are concerned with what ‘truth’ might be revealed.
But God knows what those questions are in the room of our unbelief and He is little concerned about them. But He is concerned with how they affect us. I know this because Jesus said, “Peace“ (vs. 27) to His followers before He said anything else.
You see, He is more concerned with the condition of our heart than the questions in our mind. “That is an encouraging thought.”
And you know that room you so longed to enter? He wants to spend some time in there with you.
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Very interesting article, and deceptively brief! Your writing cuts deep, leaving the reader with answers that suggest deeper questions. O that we would march into that room with confidence and spend time communing and communicating with the One who is the Answer! God bless.
