“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”” (John 16:33, ESV)
In the last Bible Study Meditation, we examined how Job kept his faith during terrible times, while Satan continually attacked everything around Job. In the end, Job was greatly blessed, but he had lost a lot along the way. This world is not easy. Accidents can happen. Disease may come upon you. You could have a heart attack. Cancer may rear its ugly head. A co-worker may disrespect you. A relative may disavow anything to do with you. Add to that, Satan loves to hurt you when he has a chance, just like with Job.
Thomas Merton, the Trappist Monk wrote about times when life gets difficult. He called them “Dark Nights of the Soul”, when God seems distant, and everything feels like it is falling apart. Merton also expressed his own pain concerning “Dark Times”, when the world is hell-bent on self-destruction, when people refuse to admit their sin, when worldly people lead others down a path toward overwhelming suffering. The fact is that even though God loves the world He created (John 3:16!); this world is full of difficult decisions, false promises, lies, misgivings, and evil traps. Jesus came into this world to bring a beautiful gospel. What did the world give him back? He was maligned, crucified, and murdered.
Today’s scripture contains a few words from Jesus about the topic of suffering. After teaching that He was the source of “peace” for His followers, Jesus admitted to the faithful that “in the world, you will have tribulation”. The Greek word used for “tribulation” in our Bible means for something to “cause pressure, rub you…the wrong way, give resistance and opposition, or cause affliction”. Tribulations are the source of the trials you face in life. Tribulations tax your will, cause disease and unrest, eat away at your peace, and tear you down. Jesus wanted to be clear that life was full of these tribulations, these sufferings, these painful moments, these “Dark Nights of the Soul”.
In a commentary on John 16:33, Billy Graham wrote that
“Only in fairy tales do people live charmed lives. We may think that some people have it all, but if we turn the pages of their lives, we may see a very different picture. Life touches some people with bouquets and others with thorn bushes. But the first may find a wasp in the flowers, and the second may discover roses among the thorns.” (p. 23, Truth for Each Day).
Some Christians have the unrealistic expectation that life will be a series of spiritual highs, blessings on top of blessings, and God’s protection from all tribulation. That is not so. It wasn’t that way for Jesus. It won’t be that way for you. In this world, accidents and traumas and wars and unrealistic expectations and ideological differences will eat at your peace. Taking advantage of the tribulations, Satan will look for your breaking points, attack during your weak moments, and pile on to your troubles. What is a faithful person to do? How can you overcome?
After explaining about tribulations in John 16:33, Billy Graham added:
“The Bible never promised that life would be fair. As we pray, we can give thanks when storms finally subside, or when the pain of ill health lets up, but the reality is that new troubles will come. While we should not anticipate trouble at every turn, some people spend so much time worrying about what might happen that they never enjoy what is happening; they never see what lies beyond trouble—perhaps the opportunity to comfort someone or to help someone. We can water the seed of hope in those around us and pray that the Lord will help prepare us for new challenges ahead.
Trouble is different for all of us. For Christians, we are blessed to have the promise that Jesus will be with us in the midst of our problems. He gives us the power to overcome whatever circumstances come our way.” (p. 23).
In the scripture from the gospel of John chosen for today, Jesus explained that despite the tribulations, you should “take heart” for HE has “overcome the world”. Jesus confirmed in John 16:33, “in me you may have peace” (John 16:33a). The world may be crazy, your life full of issues, but if you keep close to Jesus, you will find peace. It is a peace that beats out any other avenue of peace in this entire world (John 14:27).
In the past month, I have personally been hit with my share of tribulations. During several violent storms, the trees on our property cracked and threatened to fall on our house. To fix the danger will cost over $12,000. That’s triple what I have in my savings. At the same time, my heart started having palpitations and my heart doctor is worried about my health. Concurrently, the medicine that has helped me cope with tremendous amounts of pain from five back surgeries and a genetic disorder is being phased out and I am allergic to every other medicine they’ve tried. It may be that I have to go without pain medicine for the rest of my life. Can you imagine having a level 7 out of 10 pain every day from now on for the rest of your life? These tribulations are significant, that’s for sure.
While all these outside factors are hitting, two best friends have cancer, a neighbor is being threatened with harm and is begging me to help, a family member has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraud, my wife was threatened with legal action because of a bureaucratic error not her fault, and my parents both have pneumonia. My Bible Study Web Site went down. My computer motherboard gave up the ghost. And much more. It’s difficult to think, pray, and write. I could easily add another hundred things to this list. It is difficult to eat and sleep.
I’m sure Satan is having a field day. I’m sure he’s piling on. And yet, I’m heeding Jesus’ words that in HIM, I will find peace. And I will. In a short while, I will set all these heartaches aside and pray to my Lord. I will let go of my desire to fix all these things (as if I could!), and I will talk to Heaven about all the tribulations besetting me. I know that if I follow Jesus’ voice, I will find peace. I will pass through these dark times. I will do what HE wills in each situation and be encouraged with HIS presence. I will not let myself surrender to the worldly tribulations. I have angels watching over me and a Lord who loves me! I wish I could tell you about the big and small miracles that have happened all the while going through these tribulations!
My love for Jesus is greater than the tribulations surrounding me. My trust in God is greater than my anxieties and worries. My life will not be defined by what has gone wrong, but in what God has blessed me with. I have a Savior who redeemed my soul! I cherish those who love me in Christ! I have friends in the ministry who are praying for me (and I for them!). I have been blessed by God in a million ways. Heaven is my future home. I am in the best of hands. Everything else will take care of itself in time…..