John 20:26

John 20:26 says, And after eight days again were His disciples within, and Thomas was with them: then came Jesus, the door being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace be unto you."  Eight days had passed since Jesus first appeared to the disciples.  We are not told what they had been doing for these eight days but imagine how Thomas must have felt for that period of time.  He had said he would not believe until he had physical proof.  I wonder how often we spend days in doubt waiting for physical proof from God instead of just moving ahead in faith.  Jesus once again offered them peace. When we stop living by sight and start living by faith, we will find peace.  The events of those few days had not changed, but Jesus offered the prospective of peace through belief in Him.  We often cannot change our circumstances, but we can change the way we deal with them through faith in God. Verse twenty-seven adds, Then He saith to Thomas, "Reach hither thy finger and behold My hands, and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing."  Thomas had said he needed physical proof, and Jesus offered it, but with a call to faith and belief.  Physical proof without faith and belief in God is not enough, nor will it ever satisfy our needs.  Through faith alone can we truly believe God.  Verse twenty-eight continues, And Thomas said unto Him, "My Lord and my God." Jesus was offering Thomas the physical proof that he said he had to have.  There is no evidence that Thomas actually touched Jesus's hands and side, but instead finally accepted Him by faith.  Jesus was no longer a defeated man to Thomas, but a resurrected Lord.  Verse twenty-nine concludes, Jesus saith unto him, "Thomas, because thou has seen, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed."  I think we can apply that same statement to our faith today.  If we only believe what God tells us if we see proof we think we need in order to believe, we miss the blessing of just believing no matter what.