Let’s be honest. Life is a troubling experience. A lot of the world’s troubles could be alleviated if we did not let our hearts get troubled. A friend became troubled hearing about a distressing road rage incident. Two men became angry at each other. They stopped their vehicles and their anger became so great that both men pulled out pistols. They shot each other’s daughter who had nothing to do with the men’s rage.
We become troubled by easily taking offense. We trouble ourselves when we worry about something harmful, unpleasant, or life-threatening might happen to us. We can benefit from heeding Jesus’s imperative, “Do not let your heart be trouble. You believe in God, believe also in Me.” The two men in the road rage incident could have benefited by knowing and remembering Jesus’s words. Let’s examine the imperative, “Do not let your heart be troubled” (John 14:1-4, 27).
Jesus wanted his disciples’ hearts untroubled. He knew they were troubled about a betrayer, that Peter was going to deny him, and he was going away. Jesus wanted them to choose what he wanted for them—untroubled hearts. He placed the responsibility on them to keep their hearts trouble-free. John 14:1-4, 27 gave them reasons to protect their hearts.
They believed in God (14:1). They believed God was the creator, the Almighty. God is “a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (Neh. 9:17). God “is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him” (Nahum 1:3-7).
They believed in Jesus (14:1). Peter told Jesus, “You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God” (6:67-68).
They weren’t going to be misled by Jesus (14:2). He said, “If it were not so, I would not have told you.” Jesus spoke the truth to Judas, to Peter, and to the other disciples. His words are true for us today. He does not mislead us. Our interpretations of His words might mislead us, but He doesn’t mislead us.
They were kept on Jesus’ team even as blunderers (14:2). Jesus guaranteed them a room in His Father’s house. This means the Father loved them. This means Jesus loved them in spite of their blunders. He still wanted them with him. Their future was secure in Christ.
They had a Teacher and Lord who was the way to his Father’s house (14:6). “You know the way to the place where I am going” (14:4). Thomas admitted he didn’t know where Jesus was going and how to get there. He was returning to his Father in heaven from where he came. He would come back at an undisclosed time in the future and take them to the Father’s house. He was the way to his Father. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (14:6). He’s better than a GPS. He is better than a map. So how do we keep our hearts from being troubled today?
Choose to take responsibility for your heart. We are responsible for our heart’s health. Obeying Jesus Christ’s imperative is for our benefit. We take responsibility for ourselves in at least three ways:
Live in the Scriptures. Jesus, said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you” (John 15:7). Make appointments with God and the Bible. Read the Bible. Meditate on what you read. Obey the Bible. Memorize the Bible. Share the word of God with others. Jesus said it helps our prayers.
Stay Prayed Up. I asked a prisoner at Walton Correctional Institution, how he keeps his heart from being troubled. He replied, “I stay prayed up.” My wife and I visited family in Maine in December. We covered our outdoor water faucets and outside shower before traveling. While in Maine Florida experienced a hard freeze. A neighbor checked our house and he didn’t find any leaks. Later my brother-in-law thought the shower might be leaking so he turned off the water at the meter to prevent anymore leaking. Jan and I prayed together. We recognized there was nothing more we could do since we were so far from home. We were pleasantly relieved upon arriving home that we didn’t have a water leak. We thanked God profusely for that.
Remember, today is only one day in the bigger life and plan God has for you. I asked my friend Kirk McCarley how he frees his heart from being troubled. He is a life coach and an ESPN statistician. He asks himself why something is troubling him in order to identify the cause. This allows him to determine if there is something he can do to address the cause. He might find some kind of physical activity to do to help get his mind onto something else. He also remembers when he’s troubled that one day doesn’t define his whole life. One day’s events that happen to him are ONE day’s events. His life is bigger than that one day.
What have you found helpful in keeping your heart free from trouble? What hasn’t work for you? Protecting our hearts when they are troubled is a healthy habit to develop. Remembering Jesus’ imperative not to let our hearts be troubled is a great motivation to de-escalate road rage, worry, and heart problems. May your heart be healthy today.