Take Heart - He Has Overcome
There are things about living in this world that I simply do not understand. I know that God loves me. I know that He cares about every detail of my life, and I know that Jesus came to show us how to live in His Kingdom. Yet there are times when what I know about Him and what I experience in this world seem terribly far apart.
Jesus told us that we would have tribulation. He didn't suggest that it might happen. He guaranteed it. Then He said something extraordinary: "But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
How do I take heart when someone I love is dying? How do I rejoice when my prayers seem to go unanswered? How do I tell someone facing a devastating illness that God is good, without making promises that God Himself has not made?
I am learning that taking heart is not pretending that everything is wonderful. It is knowing that He is wonderful even when everything around me is falling apart.
Paul wrote that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) I believe that with all my heart. Yet I am discovering that the good God is accomplishing may reach far beyond anything I can recognize or understand in this present life.
There is something else I am learning about Him, something that makes all the difference when life becomes difficult. He is compassionate.
Hebrews tells us that we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses. (Hebrews 4:15) Consider that carefully. The One who sits at the right hand of the Father is not indifferent to our suffering. He knows what it is to be weary, to grieve, to suffer, and to face death. He is touched by what touches us. (Isaiah 53:3–4)
Think about that for a moment. The God who created everything, who holds the universe together by His power, is not so occupied with governing creation that He overlooks you. (Colossians 1:16–17) He is omnipresent. He is right there with you, even in the darkest moments of your life. You do not have to find your way into His presence. He is already there. (Psalm 139:7–10)
Sometimes I think we imagine that we must somehow summon enough faith to climb the next mountain. Yet perhaps we are so exhausted by the mountain before us that we cannot take another step. Our compassionate High Priest understands that too. He is able to sustain us, strengthen us, and, if need be, carry us toward whatever mountain He has prepared for us next. (Isaiah 46:4; Matthew 11:28–30)
His compassion does not depend upon our strength.
I can pray for healing. I can ask for another year, another day, or simply another afternoon with a grandchild. I can ask boldly because I know He hears me. (1 John 5:14–15) I don't have to pretend that I don't care about the outcome. He knows my heart already.
What I want, more than anything, is His will. That does not make the asking easier, nor does it remove the sorrow when the answer is different from what I hoped. It means that I can bring my heart to Him without trying to hide any of it. (Luke 22:42)
What a wonderful invitation follows that description of our High Priest! We are invited to approach His throne of grace with confidence, to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16) Not because we have become strong enough, or because we have finally learned to pray perfectly, but because of who He is.
John wrote that we are God's children now, although what we shall be has not yet appeared. He tells us that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is. (1 John 3:2–3)
That is my hope. I want to be like Him now, and I long for the day when I will be like Him completely.
Perhaps you are reading this while facing something you cannot change. I cannot tell you how your circumstances will turn out. I cannot promise that the illness will disappear, that the sorrow will end tomorrow, or that every prayer will be answered in the way you hope.
What I can tell you is that the One who overcame the world knows exactly what you are facing. He is not watching your suffering from some distant corner of heaven. He is present with you. You can ask Him for what you need. You can tell Him what you fear. You can even tell Him that you don't understand. (Psalm 62:8)
I am learning to do the same.
I don't have to understand everything He is doing to trust the One who is doing it.
That is how I am learning to take heart.