Dave's Diary

Daily Reading: John 16:16-33

³³ ‘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.’

In the upper room just before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus took an unusual approach to giving His disciples peace – He told them the painful truth about the hard and confusing times they were about to face. He was about to leave them and thereby cause them great grief, weeping and mourning. He would go to the Father and they would abandon Him and be scattered. That all sounds like bad news! Why would it bring them peace?

I believe Jesus told them the painful truth very plainly so that, when all the turmoil of the coming events unfolded, they would be able to rest in the realization that Jesus knew about all of this in advance and that His Father had not lost control of their world. He said: ‘I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.’

Then He added: ‘In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’ Despite all the troubles they would face in future, He wanted them to have the deep-seated peace of knowing that He would be with them by the Holy Spirit, and that, because He had already overcome every trial and temptation and had remained faithful to the Father to the very end, they could too.

Peace does not come to us as Christians because of an absence of troubles. Instead, it comes because of the permanent presence of the One who has overcome. Even in the face of great difficulty, Jesus is with us, and that makes all the difference. He will never leave us nor forsake us!

Jesus, please be with me in all my troubles, struggles and difficulties just as You have promised. Please strengthen me to remain faithful in the face of trials and tribulations, so that I may share in Your ultimate victory. Amen.