John 16:22

New King James Version

Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

For Encouragement

O, the faithfulness of our loving God and Savior, Jesus Christ and the certainty of His promises!

He speaks with authority and calls it done even when it is distant. Why does it surprise you? He is Omniscient and Omnipotent. He knows it all and sees it all, so He calls those things that are not as though they were (Rom. 4:17), and He has the power to make them happen.

He planned our redemption before creation and put Himself in it. How, then, could He miss any day or time for each activity?

He said He would die in our place and rise on the third day, and nothing hindered Him (Mk. 10:33-34).

Out of His unlimited love and caring heart, Jesus comforted the disciples in the Upper Room discourse concerning His death and resurrection (Jn. 16:19-22). Their sorrow would turn to joy, and they experienced it as He promised (20:20). But note the sequence, Christian!

Joy comes after sorrow. Delight trails grief, and pain gives way to relief. That’s our life in Jesus.

There is no resurrection without the cross, and exaltation crowns humiliation, pain, and tears in our crucible. That is the pathway to enter His glory.

So, hang on, Christian. Your suffering for doing right by Jesus will bring you victory in Him (1 Pt. 3:14; 4:19). What, then, is the situation that is causing you pain, sorrow, and anxiety? Is it marital, financial, emotional, physical, or spiritual affliction?

The result of Christ’s suffering and pain is the guarantee of His empathy and the offering of mercy and grace to help you in your peculiar situation. Jesus went through all of that to save you, so that you can enjoy the fruit of His sacrifice by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hold on by faith, for He walks with you till the end of the age (Matt. 28:20). Amen!

Shalom.

Pray with Me

What a Savior you are to us, Jesus! All our sins are griefs to bear. That is why we have confidence to rejoice in our struggles and afflictions, to know your victory is ours, and that dancing will crown our sorrows, if not here, certainly in glory. So, boldly we declare that no one can rob us of that joy. Thank you, Lord. Amen.

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