“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Fantastic! That means that everything is going to be awesome…right?
Not so much.
If that’s the case, what does this verse mean?
Jesus tells us three things about life because of who he is.
First, we have peace in Christ. He is our peace. He is our joy. He is our comfort.
Secondly, in this world we will have trouble. People we love will get sick and die. We will get sick and die. Christians are not immune from the hardships and tragedies of this world. In this world, we will have trouble.
Lastly, take heart for Christ has overcome the world. Christian joy and peace is not negated by trouble and tribulation. Our circumstances may trouble us but they cannot destroy Christ’s peace or joy as long as our peace and joy is in Christ – in who he is, in how he loves us, in what he has promised us.
We will experience all the highs and lows of life that all human beings experience. However, because of who Jesus is, we can have peace and joy throughout all our days because of Jesus. We can experience grief but our grief cannot destroy peace as long as our peace is in Jesus.
That’s pretty good news. In fact, that’s pretty awesome news.
Praxis: Faith in Action 