Do Not Let Your Heart Be Troubled – May 9, 2023

[Jesus said] “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?”
John 14:1,2

Do Not Let Your Heart Be Troubled

You might know that it is possible to tour the wreckage of the Titanic—a boat that famously sank after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage in 1912. Currently, a ticket for this experience will cost you $250,000—which apparently isn’t too much for many people. Tours regularly sell out because so many people are eager to look at the wreckage.

And that’s not entirely uncommon. When there is a car wreckage on the side of the road, the average driver slows down and starts looking at it. Reality TV is a booming business because it specializes in letting everyone see the wreckage of people’s lives, relationships, and decisions. People enjoy and apparently are willing to pay money to look at various wreckages, except one type. It’s not very enjoyable looking at your own.

This is why Jesus’ words in John chapter 14 are so comforting, “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” Jesus told his disciples. In life and death, we find great comfort in Jesus’ promise that he has prepared many rooms in heaven for you and for me. But did you know that one of the most comforting portions in the Bible immediately follows one of the most unsettling?

In John chapter 13, Jesus pointed out the wreckage sitting around their dinner table with him when he told Judas that he would betray him and Peter that, despite his best intentions, he would deny Jesus three times. And immediately after those conversations, Jesus said his famous words—”Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

And that is good news for anyone who has suddenly seen the sinful wreckage inside themselves—maybe because, like Peter, they denied their faith multiple times in quick succession; or because, like Judas, they quickly fell into temptation. If your heart is, or even has been, wrecked by guilt over your sins, then hear the words of our Savior, who already earned your forgiveness.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled … In my Father’s house are many rooms … I am going there to prepare a place for you.”

Prayer:
Gracious Savior, thank you for saving me from the wreckage of my sin. Help me to live my life in the peace and comfort I find in your love. Amen.