Life is unpredictable, but God is not.
We have been neck-deep in a house remodel. From bathroom flooring and shower tile to kitchen cabinet paint and knobs. The works.
I have never been part of a construction plan that has gone perfectly. I mean, a plan where the cabinets affixed at the exact angle, the paint trim didn’t spill over onto the wall color, the fixtures didn’t need an adjustment, the flooring went down without a hitch. Not once.
Life tends to hand us imperfections, adversity we don’t choose - layoffs, sickness, prodigals, disappointments. Often the troubles come in waves, a betrayal and a suicidal family member, news of a death and loss of a family business, a health pandemic and political riots.
John 16:33 says, "In this life you will have troubles. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
How can I “take heart,” and what does that actually mean? It means to “have confidence, courage, be unafraid.” The original translation implied this was courage God placed within us to be lived out in our actions. In other words, this was not a man-made courage generated by confidence in our own ability to handle the situation, but rather, a wellspring of courage bubbling up from God’s presence and power within us.
Let me illustrate. The apostle Paul did not take on the excruciatingly painful beatings in the New Testament because he was some kind of superhuman with more courage than all of us. Paul endured persecution because there was a fountain of courage within him, the Holy Spirit of God, directing boldness and confidence in the Lord’s calling.
Even if Paul’s knees might have been a little shaky, he was able to act on the courage flowing deep inside his heart.
This verse is telling us to find that fountain - Jesus Himself. We don’t have to manufacture our own courage! There is a fountain of it flowing in every believer who follows Christ.
Prayer:
Father, we are weak and battle-weary. Life is disappointing. We don’t feel we have the courage to face what is right in front of us today. However, Your Word says we can rely on Your Spirit to give us courage for the battle ahead. Help us to not trust in what we can produce, but what You can produce in us. We are weak, but you are strong.
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