“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
-John 16:33
“In this world you will have trouble.” Don’t we know it? I’m so grateful that trouble is acknowledged over and over again in scripture. It doesn’t take away the ache, but it is surely a comfort to know that it’s no surprise we encounter trouble. We know it well: broken relationships, sickness, financial stress, anxiety, death, depression, addiction, loneliness, shame. My heart has been heavy in the wake of all that has been lost during this COVID crisis, in the wake of the Armaud Arbery murder, in the wake of so much prejudice that has cost so many their lives, in the wake of the silence of the church in these matters at times. When I see the mess we can make of things, I can get pretty down. I can start to lose hope, but then I remember a verse like this. We will have trouble, but we can also take heart. Our trouble doesn’t have the final word, and there is a LOVE that has overcome the world. I’m praying that somehow in this season there will be a shift in us to lean deeper into this LOVE, a shift towards racism and prejudice being flushed out by truth and light and love, a shift to speak up for those who have been oppressed and pushed to the edges of society. I’m praying that somehow during this sad and broken season we face as a country, we can allow our hearts to be filled up with His love, so we can take heart, and stand up for those who have been silenced and slaughtered by injustice.
