“Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me.” –John 14:1
What calmness and thoughtfulness and comfort the Lord imparts here. He has told them He is going to the cross, and anyone else would be a bag of anxiety, nerves, no time to think of others, He was fully Man, fully God, but as Man He came to bear the sins of the disciples, and others. He comforts them He knew what faced Him. He knew what faced them and He CHOSE to think and comfort them!!! He is not saying “Don’t become troubled” but it is grammatically, “Stop letting your hearts be troubled.”- Don’t let your hearts be troubled, agitated any longer!
In John 13- He has loved them to the end. His love never waned for them and as He came to bear their sins and accept the cup His Father had for them, He is going to the Cross, to satisfy the wrath of God against their sin, and He is telling them- Stop letting your hearts be troubled any longer- I have this under control ! You often heard the phrase, “cool, calm and collected”- this is beyond that, this is consideration of the highest at the greatest cost for the benefit of others. The Cross, has been accepted, the cross is His destination, The Cross is where Salvation will be and with the resurrection as the sign that His sacrifice has been accepted, He would be back, but in the meantime, all they can think of is what has been said- Jesus is leaving– trouble, trouble, what would they do, how can this be the plan, though He had told them, they could not see it, only trouble and as their hearts were full of troubles, emotions pulling every which way, and Jesus says” stop allowing your heart to be troubled,” and calls them to make a choice. “KEEP TRUSTING ME.” They have the capacity to stop allowing their hearts to be agitated,and troubled by shifting the focus of the immediate circumstance to… the LORD OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES!!
What looked utter insanity was in fact God working out His will, for His glory and their highest Good, and Jesus calls them to TRUST ME… He calls them to COMFORT by trusting in HIM… He who not only said He loved them to the end in John 13- but had proven it over and over. He was full of grace and truth, He looked on the multitudes with compassion. He had faced the temptation of satan and shown them and us how He overcame,” it is written.., it is written…it is written…” He used the Word of God.{See Matt 4:4-10}
He has called them in the midst of turbulent circumstances and emotions to TRUST ME….
- Trust Him who loves them
- Trust Him who is going to the cross for their eternal well- being
- Trust Him who is going to conquer, sin, death and the grave
- Trust Him- who is going to prepare a place for them
- Trust Him who is going to send the Comforter to be with them- always
- Trust Him because He is Trustworthy
THE CROSS WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT- BUT A CHOICE OF DESTINATION;
Whatever their response, He had not just landed there at that moment by accident, but by Divine Intention and He had it under control.
Whatever situation we find ourselves in and the temptation and often the yielding to choosing to be anxious, troubled, we have to STOP, and ask…
* Is He in control of my circumstances?
* Has He called me to bear this alone?
* Has He been taken by surprise?
* Is He capable of meeting me and helping me to Look away to Him and trust Him?
* Is He not LORD over my circumstances?
* What are my choices?
CHOOSE to be troubled and carry it myself, or cast it, fling it on Him by faith{See 1 Peter 5:7;Psalm 55:22} and choose to trust His Love- His Cross- His Comforter- His Word- HIM, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
TROUBLED OR TRUSTING…
It is not to say we never have troubles, we never experience difficult, crushing emotions and circumstances but learning to LOOK TO HIM and TRUST HIM…. who went the way of the Cross, who made the Way for the Comforter to come… Who Is THE Way, THE Truth and THE Life…. in whom one day we will be with because He brings us to Himself to be with Him to behold His glory.{See John 17:24-26}
TROUBLES? Yes…. Trusting Him in the Troubles is a continuous attitude of faith developed as we meditate upon Him, Take Him at His Word… and CHOOSE to TRUST Him. It is a fight of faith, a fight against “feelings” that would bring questionings and doubts and anxieties, against false teaching, against a world system that does not know the Living God, having denied Him and His Word. It is a fight of faith, but we are to be taken up with the Victorious Conquering Reigning One- and we can choose to be of good cheer for He has overcome and in Him we can choose to trust HIM, IN OUR TROUBLES, WITH OUR TROUBLES AND NOT ALLOW OURSELVES TO BE TROUBLED… BY CHOOSING TO TRUST AND KEEP ON TRUSTING HIM… HIS PERSON, HIS PROVISION, HIS PROMISES.
Learning to TRUST Him with our Troubles, because He is Trustworthy…There is never a circumstance we face alone, as heartbreaking as some of them can be and are, He calls us to- TRUST HIM… with ourselves, circumstances, troubles, for He is LORD over all. The disciples couldn’t see the light for the darkness they looked at, but as dark s it would get, and fear would overtake them as they locked themselves in a room… they FORGOT… They FORGOT….to TRUST HIM and what He had said and who He had proved to be to them…. But thank God failure is not final, as He arose and went and spoke Peace to them… and in their troubles, He again came and showed them His Love…
THINK Back TO WHEN AND HOW HE HAS SHOWN YOU HIS LOVE IN YOUR TROUBLES. Weeping may endure for the night … BUT… JOY COMES IN THE MORNING…. Troubles do not have the final say, JESUS HAS!
TROUBLES? Everyone has troubles, we live in a fallen world, but He does not say “don’t allow yourselves to have troubles….” but ” STOP ALLOWING your HEART’S Be troubled”- INTERNALLY , they can do something about it- KEEP ON , KEEPING ON…TRUSTING HIM.
- Trust HIS PERSON- HIS LOVE
- TRUST HIS PROVISION OF THE COMFORTER
- TRUST HIS PROMISES
- TROUBLES- Can lead to despair or we can choose to use them to lead us and leave us trusting JESUS.
WHEN TROUBLES ARE GREATER THAN TRUTH;
The disciples, saw their troubles as Greater than He who stood before them. Isn’t it often the way, our troubles seem to grow and He begins to fade and shrink… when we choose to FORGET Him. Troubles, may they be as a springboard, like the end of a diving board, that springs up and enables us to soar and dive into the depth of the love of Christ… focusing on Him…Troubles , may they be a reminder- KEEP TRUSTING JESUS… KEEP TAKING HIM AT HIS WORD… KEEP THINKING ON HIS PROMISES AND PROVISION… KEEP THINKING ON HIS LOVE THAT WENT TO THE CROSS FOR YOU AND ME AND HE AROSE HAVING SATISFIED THE PRICE TO SET YOU SPIRITUALLY FREE…. KEEP TRUSTING HIM WHO LOVED YOU, DOES LOVE YOU AND WILL NEVER ALLOW ANYTHING TO SEPARATE YOU FROM HIS LOVE. FOCUS ON HIM… read His Word, mediate and pray for understanding and make application and thank God for sending His Beloved Son.
TROUBLES ON THE OUTSIDE BUT PEACE ON THE INSIDE;
** I thought when Jesus said this, He was not saying they would not have troubles, but they did not have to be troubled internally.. and the way to is by faith in Him… keep trusting His Person, His promises, His provision of the Word of God, Spirit of God… thinking on Him and trusting in Him, He is with us… and looking forward to the blessed hope of being with Him eternally, is all found in John 14- Hope for us when troubles come. THE Disciples would hide out of fear , but He would come and speak to them after His Resurrection- PEACE. He was back! He was risen, and He would leave them to ascend to the throne but they would have the Comforter with them wherever they would be. What a gift to them and us.***
TROUBLES?- Check! We all have them of various types, intensities… it is learning, re-learning, remembering, to know -FOR THIS I HAVE JESUS!. These troubles may be WITHOUT, but I do not have to allow them to affect me WITHIN… KEEP ON TRUSTING JESUS!
TROUBLES CAN BE A REMINDER- TURN TO HIM. TRUST HIM,…. THINK ON HIM…{READ COL 3:1-5 – NOTE where to FIX our THINKING and WHY do So… a great passage to begin to memorize, mediate and you will have plenty of opportunities to apply and pray it for others and share with others.}. It may not as one dear friend has said, “it may not look good, it may not feel good, but He promises it will all work out for good”- because, for this we have JESUS!
YOU HAVE A FUTURE HOPE – WITH JESUS
He offers them Hope- Himself as the One to trust in times of troubles Jesus says “Stop allowing your hearts to be troubled, you believe in God keep on believing in Me.” In difficult circumstances, Jesus COMFORTS them…. {and we are called to comfort others. {2 Cor 1:3-4- with His comfort}. Read John 14:1-9. And underline what He says about Himself. Underline His Promises, underline His Provision, underline the future hope. Underline HIM!