For the Troubled Heart~

"Don't let your hearts be troubled. 
Trust in God, and trust also in me."
                 ~ Jesus

These are tender words from a tender Savior. They overflow from Jesus' own deeply troubled heart as He reclines at the table with His disciples for what would be His last supper with them before He would be betrayed, denied, abandoned, tortured, mocked and crucified. He has explained to them that one of them will betray Him. In other Gospel accounts, we read that He also tells the disciples that all of them will fall away, and Peter specifically will deny
Him three times. How devestating Jesus' words would have been to the disciples hearts as they are faced with a future in which their master, teacher, and friend has just told them that they will all end up failing Him. 

And what does Jesus say to them next? Out of the depths of His troubled heart, that would be broken for them, He comforts them. We can be certain that as believers the comfort that Jesus offers to us when we are troubled comes from a heart that has been broken for us as well. 

How does our Savior comfort His followers when they are faced with failure, fear, uncertainty, anguish, loss, disappointment, and all the raging emotions and circumstances that sweep us all away into the fierce sea of a troubled heart? He tells them not to let their hearts be troubled, but instead to trust in their Heavenly Father and to trust in Him. What is to replace our fears? Trust in the Almighty God who is our Father, and trust in the Sovereign Son of God who is our Savior. Fear is the downward look of the soul at all that is not right here in our world and in our own hearts because of sin, and the darkness we see threatens to swallow us up. Trust is the upward gaze of our souls upon the glorious, beauty of a merciful and loving God who powerfully and graciously swallowed up the darkenss of our sin at the cross.

Jesus goes on to tell His disciples about the joy awaiting them (and us) for though they would all fail Him, He would not fail them but would fulfill every promise and prophecy made in Scripture and be their Savior who would save His people from their sin. The joy that Jesus sets in front of His disciples and the joy that is ours is that sinners are welcome in His Father's house for their is room for all who come to the Father through Jesus. Jesus is preparing a place for all those who trust in Him, and when everything is ready He will come back and get us! What sweet words for us sinners to hear! The troubled heart can only find comfort in trusting in the Father who welcomes sinners through Jesus and by trusting in Jesus who gave up His life to open up the way to the Father!

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