“Do not let your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1). Is there any Scripture command we violate more than that one? How can we not be troubled when Islamic terrorists are blowing up crowded theaters and restaurants? Who doesn’t live in constant fear that what happened in France on Friday could happen in our neighborhood next?
We’re troubled by our nation’s lack of leadership in Washington D.C., the uncertainty of our economy, the escalating chaos on college campuses and the breakdown of the traditional family. It seems like the whole world is coming unraveled. And we’re not supposed to worry?!
There’s also a plethora of personal problems that trouble us. Many of us lie awake at night churning over “What if?” What if we get in an accident, what if our kids can’t afford that house, what if my mate gets cancer? What if my grandson doesn’t do well in school? What if the new baby has health issues? What if I run out of funds?
Look again at Jesus’ instruction in John 14. These words are more than just a surface prohibition against worry. In this section I see a twofold prescription that, if followed, provides a dramatic cure for troubled hearts.
First. Trust Him. Jesus said, “Trust in God; trust also in me.”
Jesus is completely trustworthy because of who he is. He said, “If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well” (John 14:7). Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves (v. 11).
Since Jesus is God, He not only forgives our past sins, He is able to resolve all our future problems. So instead of churning about things you can’t control, “Cast your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
My grandson Charlie announced last week that he’s engaged. I’m really happy for him and his fiancé is a wonderful Christian girl. But instead of just thanking God for answered prayer, I find myself being troubled about it. I remarked to my wife, “He’s too young to get married!” She said, “He’s the same age you were when we got married”. I responded, “Yes, but I was a lot more mature!”
It’s hard not to worry about his future. They’re both so young. They’re getting married in eight months and he doesn’t know where he will be working or where they will live. Is she ready to be the wife of someone in ministry? As I prayed about these things I could almost hear the Lord say, “Trust me. You can’t do anything about it anyway so turn if over to me. I’ve got them covered just like I covered for you fifty years ago. So don’t let your heart be troubled.”
A prominent plaque in our kitchen reads, “Fear not tomorrow – God is already there!” When we really believe that it helps cure all our troubles.
Someone said the entire book of Revelation can be summed up in three phrases. “Things are bad. Things will get worse. We win!” Since that’s true, then we shouldn’t be panicky or pessimistic no matter how threatening the world appears. “For if God be for us, who can be against us?” Trust Him!
The second step to curing anxiety is to focus on heaven and not on earth. “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you” (v. 2)
One of the reasons we are so burdened with troubles is that we are too focused on this world. We’re obsessed with accumulating possessions, achieving status and protecting family relationships. We see evidence every day that those things can be snatched from us in a second -and that makes us anxious.
The cure is to focus more on the eternal values that can never perish, spoil or fade kept in Heaven for us. The Bible instructs us to, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Col 3:2) Sometimes it calms our fears just to ask, “Is this really going to matter 100 years from now?”
When we remember that this world is not our home we learn the secret of being content whether we have little or much. And we are granted His peace that passes understanding.
A five-year old boy threatened to run away from home. He was tired of all the troubles at home so he packed a few items in a duffle bag and announced to his mother, ‘I’m leaving!” His mother nonchalantly went along with his bluff and said, “Okay. Have a good time!”
The angry boy stormed out, stalked to the end of the block and came to a red light. He’d never crossed a busy street before and that made him nervous so he just turned right and walked until he came to another light and then turned right again.
After walking around the block, he decided he’d best go back home. He opened the front door, strode into the hallway and quipped, “Well, I see you’ve still got that same old cat!” (In his mind he’d been gone a long time!) Home looks pretty good when you’ve seen the world.
The more we see of what this world has to offer the more appealing the Father’s house. The more we focus on our heavenly home the less troubled we are about the struggles and obstacles that threaten us here.
A familiar hymn begins, “O soul are you weary and troubled?” Then the chorus urges, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus and look full in his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.”
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