“Let not your heart be troubled!” Have you heard those words lately? Under what circumstances do people usually hear them? Do those words, “Let not your heart be troubled”, bring you comfort or leave you bewildered? Well, people usually hear those words at funerals, but what better time to hear those words again – “Let not your heart be troubled” – than at the beginning of a new year, when we are about to travel into the unknown, not knowing what awaits us.
Many people are troubled at this time for so many reasons: the mounting bills, debts, up-coming taxation, joblessness, lack of finances to meet basic needs, sickness, failing health, death of loved ones, fear of an uncertain economy, natural disasters – the list is endless. Feelings of anxiety, apprehension, anticipation, sadness, frustration, dread, fear and worry grip the heart.
The disciples, too, experienced those exact feelings the night before Jesus died. Jesus, in preparing his disciples for a future after his death, offered those words, “Let not your heart be troubled” – the words we have the most difficulty hearing and yet the ones we most need to hear for our freedom at this time.
The words, “Let not your heart be troubled”, when spoken by Jesus at that time, were not some sentimental consolation of a person uncomfortable with grief – or the Hallmark message one is obliged to give and receive, well, just because it is the thing you do in circumstances where you can do nothing else. Those words…. “Let not your heart be troubled”, were Jesus’ words for a troubled heart. Those words were not a momentary escape from pain, but a gift that allowed his disciples to live with hope, with eyes open and with courage to go on. And those very words, His words, let not your heart be troubled, are Jesus’ words to us as well as we forge into the new year – into a world of the unknown.
Jesus also gave His peace to His disciples. He told them, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you…” This peace was not just for His disciples, but also for us today. We must venture into the new year, into the future, with God’ s peace.
Jesus’ words – Let not your heart be troubled – and his pronouncement of His peace should bring comfort to our troubled hearts. His words brought comfort to His disciples and they should bring comfort to us today as well. Jesus wanted his disciples to rely on him and to put their trust in Him. He wants us to do the very same, my friends.
When Jesus told his disciples that He was going away from them, Jesus’ demeanour and language filled his disciples with apprehension. He was going to leave them – that itself reduced their world to rubble. But they would also have to cope with the manner of his departure. They would see him betrayed by one of their own, arrested, and condemned to a death that would not only wrench him from them, but would cover his name with humiliation and bury all their hopes. But they had to carry on not knowing what the future without him held for them.
At that time, what was before Jesus’s mind was not how He himself would cope with the cross, but how his confused and bewildered disciples would cope. It was the trouble in their minds that troubled Him, and He addressed it not only with soothing words but with powerful arguments – arguments they must remember when they saw him hanging on the cross, and which we, too, must remember when God leads us where we feel that we cannot cope and cannot understand. Jesus admonished them, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” Those are His words for us today as we stand at the commencement of a new year.
Hence, as we forge into the new year, we need to bear in mind, that no matter how desperate the situation or situations may be, or how great the problems we may face, our heavenly Father is by our side. He will stay by our side to meet our deepest needs with His infinite wisdom and power, and that under no circumstance and at no time will He give up on those whom He has purchased with the blood of His Son and those who have placed their trust in Him. We may at times feel abandoned, but we must remember that we will never be abandoned by Him.
May God help us, therefore, to fix our eyes on Him and place our full confidence in Him. Let us trust God with the care of our lives, with our present, with our past, and with our future. This is true security and true freedom. For nothing is impossible with God.
Remember: We must cease striving and trust God to provide for us what He thinks is best, and in whatever time He chooses to make it available. Putting our trust in God can give us peace and help us when we are dealing with life’s challenges. Trusting God is one of the most important decisions that we can make for our lives.
About the Author: Mrs. Marilyn Hodge owns and operates the Wellness Centre in the Farrington, Anguilla. The Centre offers Counselling Services by Appointment Only and has now published Positive Living Volume 2. Contact information: 476-3517 or email: marilynb@anguillanet.com. www.facebook.com/axawellnesscentre.
