New Morning Mercies #353

Don’t be discouraged as you face your problems. You have more than strength and wisdom. You have the empowering grace of Jesus.

Here are some of Jesus’s final words to his disciples before facing his death on the cross: “Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:32–33).

Here’s what this passage tells you:

1. In your troubles, you don’t have to act as though things are okay when they’re not okay. This passage, like so many others, welcomes us to honesty. We aren’t called to pretend. We’re not forced to act as if things are okay when they’re not okay. Biblical faith never asks us to deny the harsh realities of life in this fallen world. God invites our cries and welcomes us to run to him in our grief. This passage is a compassionate and honest warning about the inescapable troubles that we all face between the “already” and the “not yet.”

2. In your troubles, you need to remember that what you’re experiencing is part of God’s plan. Jesus is announcing something to his disciples that is discouraging and encouraging at the same time. He is telling his disciples that it is the plan of God for his glory and their good to keep them in a world that is terribly broken and therefore does not function in the way that God intended. You and I should never think that the troubles that we face are an indication of the failure of God’s plan and his promises. No, this present suffering exists under his rule and according to his wise and loving plan.

3. In your troubles, you are invited to remember that you are never alone. Here Jesus speaks personally. Even when forsaken by all of his followers, he says it is impossible for him to be alone because his Father is with him. In the same way, as God’s children, you and I are never left alone in our troublesome circumstances. God, in power, wisdom, and grace, is always with us. This means that in times of trouble, we are never left with the ministry resources of our own power.

4. In your troubles, you need to know that your troubles may overcome you, but they cannot overcome the Savior who protects and keeps you. You may be discouraged and stymied in your troubles, but your Lord never is. This means your troubles don’t determine your destiny; he does!

For further study and encouragement: Matthew 10:16–33