Have you ever been really stressed out when it seemed as though everything went wrong at once? And then, when it seemed like it couldn’t get any worse, it did.
As we look at the state of our world today, it can bring a lot of stress into our lives. Studies have suggested that high levels of stress actually can lead to obesity and other diseases, from heart attacks to ulcers, depression and nervous breakdowns. Experts say that even cancer can be stress-related.
There are so many things that can trouble our hearts. The Bible tells us of a time when the disciples were stressed out to the max. They were afraid, and Jesus gave them words to bring comfort, to bring a cure for their heart trouble.
Trust in God
The words he gave them still resonate with us today:
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” —John 14:1–3
The disciples were troubled because Jesus had just revealed that one of them would betray him. And then he went on to say that Simon Peter, one of their leaders, would deny him. It seemed as though their world was falling apart. The dream, as far as they were concerned, was over.
What they didn’t understand was that Jesus had come to this earth with the purpose of going to the cross and dying for the sins of the world. He knew there was no other way to put us in touch with a God whom we all have offended with our sin.
Yet, all they heard was that Jesus was leaving them, so they were filled with stress, worry and fear.
So, he told them, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.” The Greek word used here for “troubled” also could be translated to “agitated,” “disturbed” or “thrown into confusion.” It’s a picturesque word.
Jesus was saying, “It may look as though your world is falling apart and darkness is about to overtake you. But I am saying don’t be troubled.”
3 REASONS TO NOT BE TROUBLED
Then he gave them three reasons they should not be troubled—the same three reasons we can apply to our lives today.
Reason 1: We Can Take God at His Word.
Jesus said, “Trust in God, and trust also in me.” Essentially, Jesus was telling them, “Guys, believe that I know what I’m doing. You believe in the Father, so believe also in me. I am in control. I know exactly what is going down. I’m not a hapless victim; I’m fulfilling a purpose, the very purpose for which I came to this earth.”
Sometimes when things aren’t going right in life, when there is an unexpected tragedy or difficulty, we say, “God has forgotten about me.”
But we need to remember that the word “oops” is not in God’s vocabulary. If you’re a Christian, then God never, even for a moment, forgets about you.
Not only that, but God has given us his Word, the Bible, to live by. The apostle Paul wrote:
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right” —2 Timothy 3:16
Everything you need to know about God is found in the pages of this book. It tells you how to get to heaven and how to live your life with purpose and meaning. The Bible is the user’s manual we have been searching for in life.
Reason 2: The Bible Promises That We Are Going to Heaven If We Have Put Our Faith in Christ.
Jesus said, “There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?”
I think Jesus probably was referring to the fact that when Christians leave this life and go to the next one, God has a new body for us. As Paul reminded the believers in Corinth, “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (2 Cor. 4:17).
C.S. Lewis called our longing to be in the presence of God the inconsolable longing. He wrote, “There have been times when I think we do not desire heaven; but more often I find myself wondering whether, in our heart of hearts, we have ever desired anything else.”
That is why we go through this life on a search. From the day we were born, we have been on a quest. There is always something beyond what we already have. God has hardwired the human soul to recognize there is more to life than what we are presently experiencing. It is that longing, that desire for the place he has created for us called heaven.
So, if you are a Christian, no matter what is happening to you in life, know this: You are going to heaven. No one can take that away from you.
Reason 3: Jesus Christ Is Coming Back Again.
And that is good to know in this troubled world that we’re living in right now. Jesus said, “When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.”
We have never been closer to the return of Jesus Christ than we are right now.
And in a time when so many things can cause us to stress out, we can have hearts full of joy and purpose, because God keeps his word, as Christians we are going to heaven, and Jesus is coming back for us again.
This article originally appeared on WND.com and Greg’s blog and is reposted here by permission.