John 14:1 -- “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
Jesus had just told the disciples one of them would betray Him, He'd be leaving, and they could not follow now. Furthermore, He'd told Peter he would deny Him before the rooster crowed. There was a lot for their hearts to be troubled over for sure.
Troubled in the Greek is tarassō and means to stir or agitate (roil water), to trouble, strike one's spirit with fear or dread.
What does Jesus do to cut through the anxiety, trouble, fear? He gives them a command and a direction.
"Do not let your heart be troubled;"
This is a command. He brings the chaos of agitated fear and anxiety back under control by not just suggesting they set their hearts at ease but commanding it. It's not an option now to just let the anxiety, fear, and trouble boil inside.
Now, Jesus didn't just command them to sit down, chill out, and get over it. NO. He gave them a command, then directed them to something else. Something they could anchor their minds and hearts to.
"Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me."
There's the command, then right into a new focus.
I found this quote as I was digging into today's verses: “Jesus’ solution to perplexity is not a recipe; it is a relationship with him.” - Tenney
Don't just let the anxiety, trouble, agitation, fear boil inside, turn to the Lord, look to God the Father, look to Jesus.
I was led over to Philippians where we see more about dealing with anxiety, fear, and boiling trouble inside.
Philippians 4:6-8 - Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is dignified, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, consider these things.
We find here the same direction of Jesus with a bit more detail. There is a command to be anxious for nothing, then a direction of where to take those anxieties, what to do with them, and what the results of obeying will lead to… peace beyond understanding, your heart and mind guarded in Christ Jesus.
Then, the very next thing is another command to redirect our focus from all that trouble and anxiety onto some quite different things:
- whatever is true
- whatever is dignified
- whatever is right
- whatever is pure
- whatever is lovely
- whatever is commendable
- whatever is excellent
- whatever is worthy of praise
We're commanded to consider or dwell on these things continually. The word consider/dwell in the Greek is logizomai; to count, calculate, by reckoning up all the reasons to gather or infer; to consider, take account, weigh, meditate on.
Christian, do you let things boil inside longer than you should? It's not a matter of things happening that will cause our spirit to be troubled or anxious. Jesus said if we're in this world we'll have troubles. So, it's a matter of what you will do when it happens.
Will you obey Jesus?
Will you obey the Word of God on what to do, where to take it, what to focus on?
Just some things to think and pray on as you start your week. Don’t take my word on it either, get into your Bible and let God show you Himself!
You are loved. You are prayed over. You are not alone.
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