Warriors Arise: July 24th, 2020
John 20:24-26 (NKJV) Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
So he 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.26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”
"He was standing right there! Did you see Him? Of course, you did, we all did! Jesus was standing right there!"
I guess, the disciples would be pretty excited. It had been eight days since the other ten had seen Jesus. If we were honest, how long would you have kept praying to see Jesus again? Most of us would think sometime during the eight days, "Sorry, Thomas, you missed it."
But eight days, eight long days. Surely they were focused in prayer, believing Jesus would come again. Believing Jesus would answer Thomas' demands. Eight long days of rejection and discouragement; yet, keeping the faith. Then all they had hoped for happens:
Jesus came.
The doors were shut.
He stood in the midst.
Jesus said, "Peace to you!"
Have you every prayed for something and then it happens and you are a little taken-aback? Jesus could have sent another angel but He didn't. Jesus came Himself. Jesus could have gone on to Galilee but He didn't, He came to where they were. Jesus could have sent word through other disciples or followers but He came Himself. He stood in their midst. He stood among them as He had always done.
They were familiar with Jesus speaking directly to them. As far as Scripture tells us, none of the disciples had a visitation from an angel before this time. None of the disciples were told to do something by other followers. None of the other followers were given more information or spent exclusive time with Jesus. The eleven disciples followed Jesus. They would not be moved by anyone else.
I just can't imagine, but I am looking forward to it. I can't imagine what it would be like to have Jesus standing in front of me, in the midst of the crowd I am in. I don't know what I would do, I might squeal with excitement and give Him a hug or faint. I might begin to sing to Him, worshipping Him with great adoration. I might fall on my face and think, I am unworthy to look upon my Lord. This Holy Being is standing in front of me, He saved me, He died for me, He is the reason I have a relationship with the Father. Maybe my mind will be blank and I have absolutely nothing to say but just stand there in awe.
Honestly, I don't think I could put my fingers in the holes where the nails pierced Him. I couldn't handle the realization of the agony, torture, and suffering He willing took for my salvation. Here Jesus is, returning to the disciples to let Thomas touch His nail-pierced hands and feet, and to put his hand in the side where He was stabbed. Jesus returned for Thomas and He will return again to take all believers to heaven. But right now, we need a visitation from Jesus to heal the brokenness in the hearts of the people all around the world. We need a visitation from Jesus to answer the questions that cause our hearts to be hard. We need a visitation from Jesus to get us out of the prison of fear and insecurity so trust can be restored. We need a visitation from Jesus to get us moving in the calling He has commissioned us to fulfill. The breakdown must be fixed so we can continue to walk out our salvation to the fullest of what Jesus died to give us.
Father, I ask for Your Son, Jesus Christ to visit Your people. I ask for the Christians in China to be strengthened because Jesus came to visit them. I pray for fear to be gone and faith to abound in their entire being. I pray they would know, without a shadow of a doubt that You are and will forever be with them. I pray for school administrators, staff and teachers to trust in You and lean not on their own understanding. I pray they would seek You and make decisions based on Your counsel. I pray for parents and guardians who are fearful to prepare themselves for a visitation from You. I pray they are ready to meet You and receive Your strength and to let You be God. It is a false security that we can protect ourselves from COVOD-19, the flu, strep throat, car accidents, plane crashes, tsunamis, earthquakes, etc. You are the only one who can protect us. I ask for You to come and speak peace to all fear. I ask for You to administer Your love. I pray people would be cautious but continue to be led by You I ask for ears to be open, so when they need to stay home they remain home. When You have said time to get on with life they will continue without fear. When You come, it is like a prison door has been opened. I pray for people to see You unlocking the door and swinging it wide open. I pray they will have the courage to put their trust in You and walk out of the prison they have lived in. I ask for You to bring Your wisdom, love, and grace to each individual so they in turn can give it to others in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy
My hope is for Believers in Jesus Christ to join together each day to pray, to push back the enemy as we release God’s power here on earth against the coronavirus. The prayers will be listed each day as Warriors Arise. I will put a date with it so we can keep them straight. If you have any questions please feel free to make a comment or private message me. If you would like this to come to your email directly please go to verideehand.com and subscribe.
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