John 14:1
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”
Sean Hannity has one of the largest radio talk show audiences in the history of the medium, and while I’m not a big fan of his style, I have always appreciated his use of Jesus’ words from the beginning of this chapter in John’s gospel: “Let not your hearts be troubled.” Sean uses them when he is discussing a story that he knows is deeply troubling to fellow conservatives who are most likely feeling helpless and hopeless. Do you ever feel that way? I’m sure the disciples did, too…especially at that moment in time.
The disciples certainly had reason to be troubled! Jesus had just told them that one of them was a traitor, that all of them would deny Him, and that He would leave them that night, seemingly for good. All of this would legitimately trouble the disciples, to say the least, yet Jesus told them, “Let not your heart be troubled.” Does that seem a bit…simple? In his commentary on this verse, Charles Spurgeon noted that Jesus “takes no delight in the doubt and disquietude of his people. When he saw that, because of what he had said to them sorrow had filled the hearts of his apostles, he pleaded with them in great love, and besought them to be comforted.” But comforted by what?
Jesus had a great track record with the disciples…and he has maintained it until this very day with every disciple that has ever lived, including you and me. Do we always like the ways in which he works? Of course not. Do we always like the ways in which he provides for us? If we are honest, the answer is “No.” Do we sometimes struggle to believe that His ways are truly better than our ways, and that His plan for our lives—especially when it involves pain and/or disappointment—is better than our plan? I don’t know about you, but I do. Yet, there is incredible power and comfort in this famous “one-liner” from our Lord and Savior…if we choose to believe.
New Testament Professor Merrill Tenney once said, “Jesus’ solution to perplexity is not a recipe; it is a relationship with him.” Your trust of some person or some organization is based on what you know of them, but even more so, on what you have experienced with them. Who do you trust implicitly in your life? Your spouse? Best friend? Business partner? If you don’t have a hard time “believing” in them, why should you struggle when it comes to The Father and His Son? A troubled heart is a difficult weight to bear…but when you hand it over to God and His Son, believing in their goodness and faithfulness and power, the weight is lifted, and the burden removed. So…let not your heart be troubled!
