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By Mike Caton

John 20:26, “A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’”

I wonder what went on during that week. But the disciples are still together and Thomas is still with them. And though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them. That is another of those things that make me wonder. Did Jesus simply appear there? Did he come through the locked doors? Did he open the doors with no key

And I can imagine there was anything but peace when Jesus appeared through those locked doors! In verse 19, just a week earlier, the doors were locked for fear of the Jews, that is probably the reason this time as well. And suddenly, there is Jesus! But he bids peace to them. We have talked about peace in the Biblical sense before, it is the state where everything is right in the world, wholeness, completeness, everything is just as it should be. In those disciples’ minds, I doubt they felt this way. In fact, they probably felt like nothing was as it should be, everything was out of control, Jesus was dead, but they have seen him again, Thomas doesn’t know what to believe, they are scared to death, nothing has worked out like they planned, hoped, or dreamed.

But the truth is, when we let Jesus in, everything is right with the world. I am certainly not saying that all of our problems are gone or disappear. Christians face all the same troubles and ailments as everyone else. But when we know Jesus is there, when we are trusting him to get us through, when our faith is in him, we know everything is going to be OK. This is not meant to sound like a trite answer, honestly, we still have our struggles and moments of doubt. But when we put ourselves in Jesus’ hands, we have the assurance things will be OK. Again, this is not a blank check for a carefree life, it means God is going to take care of us regardless of what happens.

Father, thank you for your presence. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Mike Caton is the preacher at Mount Olive Church of Christ in Belhaven. He volunteers at the Ponzer Fire Department and works full time with Hyde County EMS. If you would like to receive daily devotions in your inbox, email mikecaton@centurylink.net.

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