SEEING IS BELIEVING

BY PASTOR CHARLES RICKS, JR.

“So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.” — Luke 2:15-16 (NKJV)

When I was growing up, I remember watching a program on television entitled Ripley’s Believe It or Not! This was a show which featured bizarre events and items so strange that the only way you could believe it was to see it with your own eyes. One could only imagine that if Robert Ripley, the founder of Ripley’s Believe it or Not!, was living at the time of Jesus’ birth, he would have more than likely featured His miraculous birth as well. 

I find it fascinating that the birth of Jesus was not first announced to men of high reputation, but to simple men of the fields called shepherds. Just think about it… shepherds who were taking care of their flock in the fields received the glorious “Believe It or Not!” news of the birth of the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world! 

And what did these shepherds do with the news they received? They decided to go check it out! But they didn’t go to see if it was true. They went to Bethlehem because they believed in their hearts that it was true. They wanted to witness for themselves what the Lord had revealed to them through the angels. You see, there is a blessing in believing in your heart before you actually see it with your eyes—that’s called faith.

Do you have to see the promise of God before you will believe it? Dr. Martin Luther King said that “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Jesus said to Thomas, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” I think you get the point. 

Prayer: Dear Jesus, help us to believe you in our hearts before we see the promise with our eyes. Amen.