"His Story"

  Jesus spoke to His own disciples: "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me." (John 14:1) Did they not believe in God? Was He commanding something from them? Does He command the same from us? Is He saying, "Do not let yourself be troubled" or "Stop letting yourself be troubled."? The first would suggest they are to keep agitation from entering and the second would suggest they were already storm-tossed and told to stop it! From the word used ("tarassestho" - troubled) Jesus speaks: "Stop letting your hearts be troubled." Jesus wasn't bullying them nor is He being glib about their fears.

  Jesus was speaking to those who had reason to worry and was speaking for them to stop. He was calling their troubled hearts to keep things in their proper place. Jesus wasn't asking for something they couldn't do but calling on their faith to allow the bigger things to control. How many times have we said to someone, "Don't let it worry you!"?  We weren't trying to put them down and we weren't ordering them. We were calling on them to bring in the greater to stop the lessor.

  It's clear they believed in God or Jesus would not bring God into focus. It's clear they believed in God and He began to reshape their faith. Jesus wasn't asking something brand new. He was calling on them to allow their faith in God to have it's way in them! In other words, "Keep on trusting in God and Me!" was His thrust.

  What we learn is this. We are faced with many situations that can send fear into our hearts. The turmoil, the agitation and sometimes anxiety we feel is real but don't allow that to control (Phil. 4:6-7). Jesus asks us that whatever faith we have in God and Himself is well placed and make that faith in God and Jesus the controlling reality in your life! Jesus isn't asking us to deny what we feel because He Himself was willing to confess that He had experienced similar situations (John 12:27). Jesus calls His apostles (and us) to act on the profound truth and realities of God because they are just as real and more powerful than fears!

  Faith doesn't obliterate the possibility of fear. Faith puts fear in its place! There are situations in our lives we face and it creates anxious moments. Jesus calls us that the anxious moments and fears need to stop being what controls our thoughts and actions and allow our trust in God to control. Is that hard? Yes, it can be but the reality is it can be done! Jesus showed it could be done when He went to the garden. Pain is real but the power of God is greater. We are to go about our lives by continually listening to HIS STORY, hearing intently HIS STORY, reading again HIS STORY and putting our faith (no matter how great or small) in Him who IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE THE STORY! If it were not true, He would not have told us.