Your Troubled Heart (and Jesus’ solution)
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”
-Jesus, John 14:1
- There’s a betrayer in your midst.
- I’m leaving.
- Where I’m going you can’t come with me.
- And, Peter, you’re going to deny that you even know me.
These are the things Jesus shared with his disciples just before he made the statement at the top of this post. So, having just heard these four news items from Jesus, the disciple’s hearts are troubled. I would say that’s understandable.
Jesus’ disciple’s hearts are troubled. And Jesus responds with the solution to their troubled hearts. “Believe in God; believe also in me,” he says.
Believe in God and Christ, he says. All that I’ve shared with you comes from Him. All that you perceive to be “bad” news is part of God’s plan. So,
Believe in God.
Believe in me.
And believe in God’s plan.
One time when Jesus was sharing God’s plan — the part about how Jesus must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things and be killed — Peter actually rebuked Jesus. Can you imagine that? Rebuking God because you don’t like His plan? Ridiculous right? (Matthew 16:22)
But if you think about it, you and I disagree with God’s plan all the time. We have our own plan. We have our own expectations. And when God’s plan doesn’t meet our expectations, we, like Peter, disagree with what God is doing.
This disagreement with God’s plan is what causes our hearts to be troubled. It’s been my observation that those who hold their own plans and expectations lightly, and believe in and are open to God’s plans: they’re the ones who have God’s peace.
Those who hold onto their own plans tightly are the ones who struggle with anxiety.
If you’re struggling with anxiety, the solution Jesus offers is to believe, in God, in Jesus, and in God’s plan for you.
You might also like: The Anxiety Graph.
Notes:
Dove Believe image via Aya 123 on SketchPort — Creative Commons
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