Thoughts for the Day
Friday, 8th May 2020: Don't be troubled
John Chapter 14 Holy Spirit Heavenly Father Worrying God Jesus
Reading : Verses from John, Chapter 14
'Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.....
I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also.'
(New Revised Standard Version)
Thoughts
Chapter 14 of St John's Gospel has so much to say that a writer could spend half their life looking at it, so today I am going to look at the first sentence: 'Do not let your hearts be troubled.'
I've always thought that worry is rather like mental indigestion. It can cause you to go into total collapse, so that nothing happens, and you keep rewinding whatever is concerning you over and over again. It doesn't help to say "Don't worry", because you just go on worrying ad nauseam. It's like some kind of loop system that goes round and round and you never come out of it, and it seems to actually stop you doing anything that might sort out the situation.
In the passage above Jesus is trying to dispel the disciples' fears as the time of his going away draws near. But whatever he says they come back round, wanting more reassurance. Only when they have received the Holy Spirit after his resurrection, and are faced with a job to do, does their anxiety disappear.
For those of us sitting alone and worrying about loved ones, or indeed ourselves, as Covid 19 rampages through the world, Jesus says "Do not let your hearts be troubled." He has the master plan, after all, and the most practical thing we can do is to ask for God's peace in our hearts at this time.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You taught Your disciples not to worry.
Help us to listen to the same words
and to trust that You know what is best for us
and for our world, both now and in the future.
Give us the calmness that comes from the Your Peace.
Amen
One way of trying not to worry is to do something. Try the following:
1. Look up the following passages in the Bible, and see what it suggests you do:
Philippians Chapter 4.6-7
Isaiah Chapter 41.10
1 Peter Chapter 5.7
2. Write out all the things that are worrying you at present, ask God's blessing on them, and that His will be done (ie not yours!). Then put them away, but continue praying.