Judges 2 NLT
After Joshua sent the people away, each of the tribes left to take possession of the land allotted to them. And the Israelites served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and the leaders who outlived him—those who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel… After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel. (6-7, 10)
We have all heard the old saying, “Seeing is believing.” Unfortunately, this is true for most of us. When we can see things with our own eyes we tend to trust them, but believing in what we can’t see (called “faith” in Hebrews) is the real trick. Consider the nation of Israel. As long as they had a leader and as long as they saw the miracles of God they had faith and remained faithful. The bible says they served the Lord through the lifetime of Joshua and the leaders who followed him, but it was the people who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel. Once the next generation came along they totally forgot God. They knew the stories, but for them the stories weren’t real—they were just stories. Somehow the baton was never passed from one generation to the next.
Now consider the words of Jesus to Thomas in John 20:29 NLT, “Then Jesus told him, ‘You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me’.” Without faith it is impossible to please God. Sometimes we are given the grace of seeing the hand of God move in our life and seeing His blessings and His benefits. Yet, we often forget those things in the hard times when the doubts cloud our judgment and when we can’t see how things will work out. Of course, it pleases God when we trust Him in the light of His grace and miracles, but can you trust Him and stay faithful to Him when all is total darkness? That is the measure of your relationship with Him. What are you living out today in your life that will ensure that you pass on the same faith to the next generation that is to come? Blessed are those who believe without seeing Him.
