I don’t know about you, but not long after quarantine started, I found myself in a rut. With my schedule pretty much disappearing, being out of work, not going to school, and not being able to do much, I quickly tried to find ways to keep myself busy. Instead of using the time I had been given to worship, I let my confusion justify avoidance. I was focused on my situation rather than Jesus himself. But if there’s anything to know about avoidance (in terms of abiding in Christ), it’s that it doesn’t fix the problem.

              A few days ago, I had a friend reach out to me about doing a devotional together over zoom. We started reading through the book of John. John 10:37-38 caught my eye. “If I am not doing my father’s works, don’t believe me. But if I am doing them and you don’t believe me, believe the works. This way you will know and understand that the Father is in me and I in the Father.” This doesn’t make sense at first, because Jesus himself is the way, the truth, and life, right? But it does if we dig deeper.

              In this chapter, Jesus is being stoned by the Jews. He asks why he is being stoned since he has shown good works from the father. They reply that he isn’t being stoned for a good work, but for blaspheming and “making himself” God. He knew that the Jews didn’t believe in him, but that in seeing him do the father’s works, they might understand that the father is in him. He knew that they wouldn’t believe his words alone.

              For us who are in Christ, our trust is in him alone. But this doesn’t mean we are immune to hardship or the doubt and unbelief that sometimes come with such. Jesus knew there would be times in our lives when it would be hard to believe, hard to trust. I think you could agree with me in that many of us are facing those times. Sickness. Financial hardship. Isolation. We are finding ourselves in situations that we didn’t see coming just a few weeks ago. But I believe Jesus is speaking these words over us now: “Even if you can’t believe my words, believe the works of my hands.”

              Those of us who have seen his goodness know that his works are endless. Jesus performed many miracles on earth. His disciples came to believe in him by his first miracle of turning water into wine; and it was the action of miracles that caused many people to come to him. In these miracles, it is easy to see that he is there. I think we can agree that it is much easier to believe in the tangible results, the clear answers, the straight paths. He performed miracles not just for the dead, blind, sick and lame, but for everyone. He wanted people to taste and see; to understand and to follow him. Jesus himself is a miracle- from his birth of a virgin to his death and resurrection, he presented us with miraculous glory that will be on display for all of eternity.

              His glory is on display even in the doubt, unbelief, confusion, and hardship. Our circumstances don’t change who he is or what he has done. I pray that we would stand firm in his goodness; that as we go through holy week, we would use this time to fixate on him and the victory of his resurrection. That even when we can’t gather in building, we would be the fearless church needed in a fearful world. That the testing of our faith would produce endurance and draw us closer to Jesus.