As I sat doing my quiet time, I realized how many of my friends are really walking through some tough times. A family that is divided because of a job, a daughter that is suffering with an awful disease, others going through huge changes or tough life experiences and the list goes on and on. Life is just hard sometimes.
Jesus warned us that it would be this way in John 16:33, "In this world you will have trouble." He never promised that our lives would be easy. He didn't promise that, if we believed, we wouldn't have to walk through some tough stuff. But He did promise us peace and hope.
Our family recently went to the movie God's Not Dead. (We really liked it and would highly recommend it.) There is a journalist who is walking through some tough stuff in the movie. It seems that her main objective is to 'trip up' the Christians that she interviews. As she is interviewing the well-known band in the movie, she questions their belief in Jesus. Their answer is that He is their source of hope. They then ask her where she gets her hope.
This all seems like an algebra problem to me! (No rolling of the eyes, please!) If x = 'trouble in this world' and y = 'Jesus', then x+y= HOPE. However, if you don't have Jesus then x+0 just equals x.
We can walk through the hard stuff because we have Jesus by our side. We can get through tough situations because there is hope in Him. It doesn't mean it isn't hard. Change is hard, transition is hard, disease and sick kids are hard, being separated is hard . . . life is just hard sometimes.
During my quiet time, I was praying for my friends and having a little pity party about my own inadequacies. Then I read the devotion from Jesus Calling. The first two sentences spoke directly to my heart.
"KEEP YOUR EYES ON ME, not only for direction but also for empowerment. I never lead you to do something without equipping you for the task."
In John 16:33, Jesus says "In this world, you will have trouble. BUT take heart! I have overcome the world" (emphasis mine)
He is our Hope, our Refuge, our Way through the hard stuff. Lord, help me to keep my eyes on You.
"But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge . . ." Psalm 141:8
