John 16:33

New International Version (NIV)

“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.”

For Meditation 

I confess today. I fear dogs!

One day, a friend invited me for a tour of his new house. My happy disposition changed as we approached the house and his dog started barking furiously. I am sure he sensed my trepidation, so he gently turned to me and said: “Don’t worry. The dog is locked in its kennel.” I sighed heavily with a smile, and he cracked uncontrollably.

Nothing is as disconcerting about the future as the fear of its uncertainty and troubling times. Jesus saw this in the faces of His disciples during His last Passover meal with them on earth before the Cross. In what is known as the Upper Room Discourse (Jn. 13:1-17:26), Jesus spoke about the events ahead of Him and the disciples’ situation after He returns to His Father. He saw the sadness and the fear in their faces, so He comforted them with the promise of the Holy Spirit, His Person, and work. Perhaps, noticing their uneasiness, Jesus punctuated the discourse with this categorical statement: “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” (16:33). He then prayed for Himself, the disciples, and those who would believe their report after Him (11:1:26).

Make no mistake about this. Jesus knows all your struggles and fears. He knows your anxious moments and hears your cries in your sleep. That’s why He made that statement, not only for the disciples with Him at the dinner table, but for all of us who have trusted Him with our lives. “I have told you these things, so that in me, you may have peace.” He knows and feels the storms in your heart. But He is saying that when you keep the focus away from your circumstances and fix it on Him, His peace will keep you in the fiercest tempest.

He did not hide anything from us. He was candid about the dangers His disciples would face. “In this world you will have troubles.” He was emphatic about this; and we have tons of them indeed. But the good news is what He said after that. “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Isn’t that beautiful and comforting?

1. What troubles have come your way?
2. What are your inner struggles?
3. How daunting are they?
4. Does tomorrow give you nightmares?
5. Has the thought of its prospects paralyzed you?

I pray you take Jesus at His word today. He has overcome all that you fear in this world for your sake. He goes and bears through them all with you (Heb. 13:5; Is. 43:2).

So: Take heart and know that you are a conqueror in Christ (Rm. 8:37); and may the peace of God that transcends understanding become your front and rear guard through every experience of your life, in Christ Jesus. Amen!

“He will keep in perfect peace, those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust Him” (Is. 26:3)

Shalom