REFUSING TO BELIEVE

REFUSING TO BELIEVE by Howard Vanderwell

"Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him." John 12:37

Many of us think that if only we’d been there during the time when Jesus lived on this earth, we surely would have believed in him.

After all, the evidence was so clear. He loved people so much. He talked so clearly about God as his heavenly Father. Jesus left no doubt about his claim to be the Son of God. Lame people walked again. Sick people were healed. Demon-possessed people were freed. To top it all off, even dead people were raised to life. Could there be any doubt about Jesus’ claims?
Yet even after all the miracles, people still would not believe in him. Why not? Belief with all that evidence would be far more reasonable than unbelief!

So why wouldn’t people believe in him?

I guess there really is no convincing answer to that question except to say that hearts can be hard. Very hard. So hard that even the best of evidence makes no impression. So hard that blindness sets in. It’s possible for people to resist so vehemently that eventually God takes away the ability to see. And then “would not believe” becomes “could not believe.”

Maybe you’ve seen that happening in people you know. Maybe you have loved ones who just won’t accept Jesus as their Savior. Pray that those who refuse Jesus will have a change of heart. Pray also that God will take away the blindness of those who have refused for so long.

PRAYER: Lord, I pray today for friends who are refusing to believe. I pray for your mighty Spirit to open their hearts, see the evidence, and put their faith in Jesus. For his sake, Amen.