I suspect that no one who will read this has ever had a troubled heart, or ever worried, felt anxiety, struggled with fear - none of us probably even know anyone who has ever worried. But in case you ever have been anxious, or ever known someone who has, we have here a comforting passage from our Lord. And it is not to be missed that this is the Lord Jesus Christ speaking here. He is talking to the disciples. He is about to leave them, and after sending the Spirit, to assist them, He is going to turn things over to them. It must have been comforting to them, to think back on His words here in this passage that encouraged them, and do now encourage us, to trust Him. Some things are easy to do, but not helpful. Worry is one of those things. It is easy to have our hearts be troubled, but it accomplishes very little. In our times of trouble, it is even more important to trust God. What good would it do if the captain, upon learning that his ship was sinking, declared that he no longer believed in God? We would rightly say that he is headed in the wrong direction, because at such a time of anxiety, it is even more vital that we believe in/trust in the providential sovereignty of God. Worry only makes a bad thing worse. It gives a perspective of the worst possible outcome, and rather than looking for the lifeline while drowning, worry is searching for the bottom of the lake. Anxiety puts trust in our ability to control the situation, and this will never provide comfort. The fact that we are fearful is an indication that we need something that is bigger than ourselves. “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.” These are words we all should take to heart - often - when we are tempted to fret fearfully.
What are we called to do here? We are called to faith. We are called to believe. We are called to trust in the Lord. When? In this case, when our hearts are troubled. Let me give you just one reason why we should look to faith when we are worried: It is the only thing we can do that makes sense. Where else can we turn than to the Lord? We cast all our anxieties upon the Lord. Why? 1 Peter 5:7 - “because He cares for you.” It is often that the trouble we are experiencing seems very personal to us. It may seem unique. “Nobody has been through this before. Maybe similar, but not like what I am going through.” We tend to feel this way, and in some respects, this is true. Our experiences are unique to ourselves, but wisdom would have us trust in the good plans that God has in the midst of circumstances. I don’t think that we can find an example of God working, since the time of Creation - in Scripture, history, or even in our own lives - that was not a work of God working through circumstances. This is how God works. He works in, through, and many times it seems, in spite of, circumstances. Let us trust, let us believe, that God has our most excellent interests in view, when He is working in our lives. These words came from Him. They are given to be comfort and strength to us in those times when we are prone to worry. Let not your heart be troubled.
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