John 16:28-33
Verse 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Yesterday we were talking about keeping our focus on Christ even in the rough times. Today we look at what Jesus said about trials in life and how we can have peace through them. Imagine the disciples first hearing these words that they will be facing troubles. It isn’t like they had been used to a life of ease. These men were not living the glorious life with the Lord. They had been traveling and seeing Jesus mocked by the religious leaders. They needed to understand life was only going to get more troubling after Jesus left. They didn’t understand that in less than 12 hours their troubles would begin and they wouldn’t have Jesus standing with them. Jesus had told them what was going to happen but they couldn’t grasp it.
Our key verse today seems like it is going back and forth between peace and trouble but Jesus is needing them, and us, to understand that with Him we can have peace in the midst of troubles. Not because of our strength and wisdom but because we are not alone in the midst of our troubles. Just like the three Hebrew young men in Babylon who were thrown into the fire for not bowing to the statue of the king (Daniel 3). Talk about troubles! The furnace that they were thrown into was heated to 7X the normal temp! In fact it was so hot the guards who threw them in died from the exposure. But soon after they are bound and thrown in, the king notices not only are the men free from the ties that had bound them but there was also another man in the fire with them and it “looked like the son of the gods!”
It seems to me being thrown into a roaring fire would not be a peaceful place but these men weren’t alone. They had Someone in the fire with them and that is what Jesus was trying to help His disciples to see in the passage before us today and it is the same message He wants us to know. Just as the disciples were going to face troubles because of Jesus, so will His present day followers. If we are truly obeying Him, we will face troubles in this world and just as His disciples in biblical times found peace in obedience in the midst of trials, we also will find peace in Him when we obey Him despite the trials which will come our way. The peace which surpasses human understanding will warm and strengthen us when life seems more than we can handle as long as He is the focus of our hearts. He has overcome the world!
Making It Personal
Have you faced any type of trouble for your faith? Have you experienced Christ’s peace in the midst of a trial? What was your relationship with Christ like after going through the trial with Him?
Making It Personal Kids
Why were those three men thrown into the fire? Were they injured? Who protected them?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for warning us that our obedience to You will bring us troubles in the world. Thank You for giving us peace in the midst of our trials so we know we can lean on Your strength to get through our trying times. In Jesus’ name, amen.