“Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; Sing praise upon the harp unto our God: Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, Who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. He giveth to the beast his food, And to the young ravens which cry. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: He taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, In those that hope in his mercy. Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; Praise thy God, O Zion. For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; He hath blessed thy children within thee. He maketh peace in thy borders, And filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.”
Psalm 147:7-14 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.147.7-14.KJV
A Call to Believe
In John 20:19, after Jesus’ prophesied death and resurrection, we see that all of Jesus’ disciples have gathered, and Jesus went to see them. That is to say, almost all of them—Thomas wasn’t there. And when those who were present told Thomas that they had seen the Lord, Thomas did not believe it.
“Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
John 20:25 NIV
A week later, when the disciples were gathered together again, Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” (John 20:27 NIV)
Thomas immediately acknowledged that Jesus has, in fact, risen from the dead and is with them again. It’s here that Jesus says, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are ...