Jesus made a statement recorded in John 20:29 which has always given me great reassurance. In the later part of the verse Jesus says, "blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." You and I have never had the fortune of tangibly seeing the Lord. However, He tells us in this passage we are blessed for that very reason. Our faith is greater than our sight. Our faith can overrule our perception of things we can or cannot see. The problem with this is that many cannot be content with faith alone. They seek extra evidence and petition God for more, assuming they cannot live by mere faith.
This is a fundamental flaw in many Christian's view of God. We feel that in order to obey the Lord on a greater level we should be given more proof to believe than we've already been given. The fact of the matter is that we're showcasing our shallow faith and low view of Scripture. I've recently been studying through the book of Judges in my personal devotion time and I came across a story in chapter 6 which really caught my attention in regards to this matter of always asking for more. We're introduced to a man by the name of Gideon in chapter 6 of Judges. The Bible reveals to us that the Lord called for Gideon while he was humbly beating out the wheat inside a wine press because of the fear of persecution at that time by enemy people. The Lord calls on Gideon to be a faithful servant in leading God's people back to repentance by destroying their idols. Gideon's early doubt turns to faith and then ultimately worship, which is the proper and biblical response when we are given a word from the Lord.
Difficulty rises for Gideon, however, because even his own father was an idol worshiper of the false god, Baal. It was Gideon's duty to tear down the altar in his town, but clearly we see faith is not going to be easy nor is his obedience going to be popular. The next morning after the raid on the altar of Baal, the men of the town seek out who had committed these acts and they are directed to Gideon's home. Gideon's actions and stance against idolatry were met with obvious opposition, but the One, true God showed Himself strong and faithful as He spared Gideon's life and made a mockery of Baal.
Sadly, even after such a tremendous showcase of God's power, Gideon still lacked faith to believe the Lord was going to use him to save Israel. Gideon foolishly began to test God, which was a direct violation of the Mosaic Law from Deuteronomy 6:16. Gideon asks God to provide dew on a fleece which he had laid out that night and keep the ground dry which surrounded the fleece. Naturally, an all-powerful God easily performed this task, but Gideon was not satisfied and continued in his weak faith. He asked God again to provide dew, but this time on the ground surrounding the fleece and not on the fleece itself. Once again, God completes this request with ease.
This pattern of weak faith and constant bargaining with God over signs and wonders is a common trait in many Christians. Instead of trusting the Lord and His perfect word, we demand a sign and another sign and often another sign. We seem to never be satisfied or convinced of God's ability, wisdom, or faithfulness. We're always asking for more when the reality of the matter is that we've already been given more than we deserve. Gideon could've been easily replaced by God and the Lord would've been no less holy, righteous, gracious or merciful. In our feeble faith we often seek out the most self-centered, convenient, and personally satisfying path. Gideon was guilty of this, but this story points more to the wonderful mercy and grace of God than it does the floundering faith of a young man.
Instead of constantly asking God for more proof, let's be steadfast in our faith of the word from the Lord we already have. Let's be committed in our allegiance to the scriptures and unwavering in our trust. Our heavenly Father has never been untrustworthy and He's certainly not going to start now. We don't need a fleece full of dew, some miraculous encounter with an angel of the Lord, or any other sign for that matter. We've already been given the ultimate sign and His name is Jesus. He is the living embodiment of the love, faithfulness, sovereignty, and power of God. His word is holy and sufficient and we need no other evidence for trusting our Lord today, tomorrow, or for all eternity.
