Jesus said in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart. I have overcome the world.”
Are you like me and because we live in the land of plenty, with freedom and opportunity without oppression and abundance all around us, we can think that we are entitled to and easy life where everything goes our way.
Then we look on Facebook or as the pastor of Elevation Church, Steven Furtick calls it, “Fakebook”, and we see how everyone else has such an awesome life, so should I! But what did Jesus promise—trouble: irritable babies, IRS audits, car accidents, bum knees, job loss, hair loss, fires, floods, and the list goes on.
But sometimes these trials, the very things designed to draw us to God, are the things our entitlement causes us to push Him away. We don’t like the pain or the discomfort and instead of seeing all that God is doing in us and for us in the midst of life’s difficulty, we fixate on the difficulty and distance from God for allowing it. Jesus had more to say about the world and peace:
John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
The world will dish out problems, but He has overcome the world. When we spend time in His presence we build the trust to believe that. We can experience the peace He wants to give us that will keep our hearts from being troubled and afraid.
Sarah Young says in Jesus Calling, as though Jesus is speaking directly to us, “There is nothing perfect in this world except Me. That is why closeness to Me satisfies deep yearnings and fills you with joy.” We can keep looking for perfection, ease, and a problem-free existence on this side of heaven, and we will always be disappointed. Or we let Christ be our overcomer.
He is the divine overcomer. He isn’t shocked by your situation. He isn’t threatened by the load on your plate. He understands what you are going through, and He has a plan to help you through it. So it isn’t how can you cope all that happens today. Rather it’s how can God and you together handle anything that occurs.
I’ll take the later. How about you?
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