In this world you will have Trouble, but …

Jesus doesn’t sugar-coat anything. On the eve of his crucifixion he told the apostles that they shouldn’t expect life to be comfortable and easy. He said: “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). If there is one thing you can be guaranteed in this world to have, it’s trouble! Why? It’s a fallen world. But Jesus says, “In me you may have peace.” Jesus had a few seconds earlier acknowledged that the eleven genuinely and truly believed in him (Jn.14:31). And yet, the next words out of his mouth were that life would be full of trouble! Think about the theological and practical implications of that. Believing in Jesus, at least in this life, until he comes back, doesn’t eliminate trouble from the life of a believer. In fact, he hints that it will cause more trouble because of persecution! (Jn.14:32).
Sometimes when troubles hit us we think, “What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with God? Why am I in this?” But, the Bible says things like, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble.” But he doesn’t stop there. He goes on to say, “But, take heart! I have overcome the world.”
A few hours after saying this he would be arrested, falsely tried, and then crucified. Three days later he would rise from the grave, demonstrating his great victory over sin and death. You and I can have peace because the one who has overcome the world lives in us. Like Jesus says, “in me you may have peace.” Let’s go to the ONE who alone can give us peace for the challenges and trials and troubles of life.