Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.
Joshua 24:31

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READ: Joshua 24:29-33

Eyewitness testimony has long been considered among the strongest types of evidence in court cases. Someone’s guilty or innocent verdict often hinges on what an eyewitness swears they saw the accused person do. And who can discount what someone saw with their own two eyes, right? Wrong.

In recent years, scientists have conducted extensive studies on the amygdala—the tiny part of the brain that processes our emotions and connects them to memories. Findings show we don’t always recall things accurately. Emotions play a huge factor in what we swear we saw. As a result of these findings, criminal convictions in which eyewitness testimony contradicted the forensic data are being revisited—and in some cases, retried. Eyewitness accounts have limited value, it turns out.

The people of Israel had a long history of following God conditionally—only so long as they witnessed God’s activity in their lives firsthand. After the death of Joshua, we read that “Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel” (24:31). It seems Israel trusted God best when they actually witnessed God’s victories firsthand—but would they continue to trust God once those eyewitnesses were gone? We know from the rest of the Old Testament that once those first-hand participants in God’s faithfulness had died, the people strayed. Perhaps for them, seeing was believing. Now that they weren’t seeing, their belief strayed.

Jesus’ disciple Thomas, too, struggled to believe something he hadn’t witnessed. Upon hearing that Jesus had been resurrected, he replied, “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 20:25b). Jesus showed up a week later and let Thomas touch His scars. “Stop doubting and believe,” Jesus said. Thomas replied, “‘My Lord and my God!’ Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’” (John 20:27–29). When our faith is rooted solely in what we witness firsthand, our relationship with God becomes transactional. May we seek a faith rooted in all that God has done—in our own lives, in the lives of those before us, and in the future that lies ahead.

A STORY OF THEN & NOW

Toughest Days and Best Days | Abe P. | Willow Crystal Lake

One of the toughest days in my life was when my daughter Lucy, who was four at the time, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. It felt like a thousand-pound log hit me in the chest. I was out of breath, overwhelmed by the fear of the road ahead.

While I struggled coming to terms with the diagnosis, Lucy has never let it define her. She faced it head-on with a cheerful spirit, mental fortitude, and a growing faith in God.

For three summers when Lucy was in elementary school, she and I attended Dads Camp at Willow’s Camp Paradise, and I saw a different side of her there—her exuberance, fearless leadership skills (her cabin nickname was “Alpha”), deep faith in God, and desire to lead people to Christ.

One of the best days of my life was seeing Lucy get baptized in the waters of the Tahquamenon River at Camp Paradise. That day, she not only declared herself a follower of Christ in front of all the campers, but also commissioned herself to be a witness to the world—to reach out to the poor in spirit, and bring hope and light into their lives. God has shown me through this journey so far, that no matter what obstacles we face, He has a great plan for each of us, a plan to use broken vessels for His glory. Witnessing Lucy’s journey has reawakened my belief in God’s purpose for my life.

DID YOU KNOW?

The people of Israel transported the bones of their forefather, Joseph, for hundreds of years—from Egypt, through the wilderness, into Canaan, and to Shechem—because they had promised Joseph that his bones wouldn’t rest until the people of Israel, too, rested in their new homeland. Many scholars believe that Joshua’s final gathering with Israel in Shechem may have been the momentous occasion in which Joseph’s bones were finally laid to rest— a poignant bookend to this significant chapter in Israel’s history.

A PRAYER

God, in what ways is my faith in You conditional, like the faith of Thomas or the people of Israel? Do I only believe the things I witness firsthand? Help me be among the blessed Jesus describes, “who have not seen and yet have believed.” Amen.

FOR REFLECTION

Have you ever witnessed something that seemed miraculous? How did that experience affect your faith?

Describe some ways in which your faith has been stretched by believing something you didn’t witness.