“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” John 14 v 1-4
Jesus does not promise a life without trouble. He recognises that there are things that we could feel anxious about if we don’t keep our eyes fixed on him. We live in a fallen world where all around us we are confronted with signs of death and decay but it is possible to have an untroubled heart in the middle of a troubled world.
When Jesus spoke these words to his disciples they had many things they could feel troubled about. Jesus had just told them that one of them was a traitor, that another would deny Him and even worse than all of that He was going to leave them that very night. Put yourself in the disciples shoes for just one minute. The man for whom they had left everything, their families their jobs, the man they had laid down their lives to follow, was announcing that He was leaving them. The one they had pursued was going away and they could not go with him. The disciples were about to go through a trial but Jesus was preparing them. Just as He goes ahead of us to prepare our eternal dwelling in heaven, He also goes before us and prepares our path in this world. He gives us His strength so that we can face any trial that life sends. A few days earlier the disciples had seen him ride into Jerusalem to the cheers of the crowd. Now He was talking about His death. How could events have changed so quickly? How could everything be unravelling before their very eyes?
Sometimes there will be seasons where we don’t have all the answers, where the future seems uncertain, this is when we have to let go and trust the Lord. It’s in these moments that rather than being fearful we are called to see things with eyes of faith. We have to choose to replace the fear of the unknown with a confident expectation of good based on our trust and faith in Jesus. And how can we grow in faith in these troubling times? Well faith is a by-product of love. When we know that we are loved we will trust the words that He tells us. We can look at the promises Jesus has spoken over our lives and take hold of them and believe. The more our hearts are convinced of the love that the Lord has for us, the more we will walk with confidence knowing He is more than able to take care of us and deliver us in trying times. It may seem at times like something has died but Jesus demonstrates that He has conquered death. He is raised up to new life and one day we too will be raised up to live with him in eternity. But today we can allow him to comfort and strengthen us. We don’t need to let our emotions dictate what we believe about our future. He will resurrect the dead areas of our lives.
Let’s remember Paul's great encouragement to us in the book of Romans when he reminds us of the promises given to Abraham “That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.” Romans 4:17
Accept his grace in every area of your life. Know that you can above the troubles because He is faithful to every promise and He will lead you through. His life will overflow in you in this world and your final destination is secure in Him.
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Who Do You Say I Am Series – Exchange Church Belfast 2020