Tears by Chris Elt

“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.”

John 12:27-28

Jesus’ soul is troubled.

His hour approaches. He knows what’s to come and he’s agonizing over what he knows. He can already feel the kiss of betrayal from his friend, he can imagine the temple guards taking him away, he foresees the shame and humiliation when he’s presented as a criminal to the Pharisees and King Herod and Pilate, he already senses the sting from their mocking as they dress him in the robe and thorny crown, and he hears Pilate’s order to scourge him, he feels the tearing of his flesh from the whip, the nails driving through, the torment of the cross. And most of all, he feels the anguish of the separation from his Father and the weight of the sins of the whole world.

Jesus soul is troubled.

But what was the result of his troubled soul? His agony meant your and my salvation. His anguish meant heaven, for you, and for me.

Jesus’ troubled soul resulted in God’s greatest blessing. The severe pruning of the vine resulted in the greatest fruit in history.

Is your soul troubled right now? If it is, take heart.

Sometimes the greatest fruit is born out of our deepest sorrow.

When Jesus’ soul was troubled he said, “And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.”

When your soul is troubled, when your hour comes, say the same. Walk through your trial with purpose as Jesus did. Purpose in your heart to use your adversity to glorify God’s name.

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You might also like How Did They Do That? — Courage in the Face of Cancer, by Jim Davis and When God Doesn’t Make Sense.

Image of person crying via Chris Elt – Creative Commons