Life Source - Week 6 - Day 3 ** John 14

Have you ever felt totally confused by a conversation that you are a part of?  I mean, you hear the words ... but you cannot grasp the meaning.  It is so frustrating!  That is exactly the scene in John 13 that we have read this week.  There is so much confusion in the room.  Jesus washes their feet and then says - now you do it, too.  When?  Right now?  Jesus keeps talking about leaving and they can't go.  Why not?  They have been everywhere with Him for 3 years.  One of them is going to betray Him?  Surely not!  Who in the world?  Judas gets up and leaves and no one knows why.  And then Jesus even tells Peter that he will deny knowing Him or having any kind of relationship with Him.  Peter?  No way!  Their world seems to be spinning out of control.

VERY TROUBLING, INDEED!

Read John 14.

I suspect your world has troubling things in it as well.  Do you feel at times as if your world, as well, is spinning out of control?  We all have times like that - times we would rather crawl in a hole than face the day.  Times when we wonder ... "what's the point?" 

Jesus steps into the swirling confusion with gentle encouragement.  And it is encouragement that you and I can claim as well.  Warren Wiersbe notices 6 assurances in this chapter to claim when you are tempted to loose yourself in troubling, anxious thoughts. 

1.  You are going to heaven.  There is a place for you there.  History is not random.  It is going someplace ... and you are a part of that destiny.  And, believe it or not, you even know the way there.  It is Jesus Himself.  He is the Way!  He is the path.  Don't forget ...

2.  You can know the Father right now.  Mankind has a longing to know God.  And Jesus tells you that you can know God.  You can see Him.  All you have to do is look at Jesus.  God is the perfect Father.  Some of you reading may have had tremendous dads ... and others may have had horrific ones.  Some of you may have had no dad at all.  But all of that falls away in the face of the knowledge of the perfect Father that wants me as His child.  When you are secure in the arms of that Father ... He will handle the troubling things!

3.  You have the privilege of prayer.  And a precious privilege it is.  It must be in faith - believing.  It must be in obedience.  And it must be in the character and the will of the Lord Himself.  That's what it means to be "in Jesus' name".  The Lord is allowing you the privilege of "using His name" as you approach the throne of grace.  Carry that privilege carefully! 

4.  You have the Holy Spirit.  Translations of verse 16 are interesting.  The King James uses the word "comforter".  New American Standard uses "helper".  NIV uses "counselor".  The Greek word is parakletos and is hard to translate.  It literally means "one called in to help".  The Holy Spirit provides the strength when you are weak.  He provides wisdom when you feel at a loss.  He provides the courage when you are afraid.  You have Him ... He has been "called in" to help you!

5.  You have the Father's love.  This goes deeper than the knowing of the Father.  He actually loves you.  Even when you see yourself as a bit of a mess!  He loves you ... and will not stop.

6.  You have His gift of peace.  This peace is deep within the heart.  It is like the Hebrew word, shalom.  It has everything to do with wholeness - with well being - will a settled spirit.  It has everything to do with the best for you.  The world strives after peace ... and usually fails.  The child of God receives this incredible quality as a gift.  You can be at peace. 

In particularly troubling times ... you may need to remind yourself of these assurances quite often.  You may even need to repeat them to yourself every morning before you face the day.  But when you do ... when these anchors of the soul are secure in your own mind and heart ... then ..

Let not your heart be troubled ...