Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled…

 Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know."

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.— John 14:1-6

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

Jesus’ disciples here at the beginning of Chapter 14 were probably feeling dismayed, discouraged and pretty confused.  I can feel the same way after spending just 10 minutes reading the news.  In the previous chapter, Jesus had told His disciples that He was going away, that one of them was a traitor and that Peter would deny Him three times.  And that was just in chapter 13!  Earlier in chapter 12, He told them He would die.  The disciples’ whole world was shaking. 

I love that even here…even when He was facing the cross…Jesus looked at His followers with compassion.  He looks at you and me with that same heart. He comforts them with words of exhortations to believe and the promise of heaven that awaits those who place their trust in Him.  My focus for this devotional is on verse 1.

First the command…let not your heart be troubled.  Next, He tells them the way to obey it when He says believe in God, believe also in Me.  

There is nothing that goes further to relieve me in my grief and sustain me in my trials than truly believing God. Jesus alone can bring the comfort each of us crave. Jesus alone can bring the peace for which our troubled hearts long.  A strong trust in God and Jesus, His Son is the key to keeping a peaceful heart.   

I liked this from J Vernon McGee:

“With the word believe we find the preposition eis which means “into.” When John talks about saving faith, there is always a preposition with it. The faith is not inactive, not passive; it is to believe into or to believe upon or to believe in. It is an active faith, which is trust. If you believe that your car will take you home, how do you get home? By just believing it? No, you believe in it so much that you commit yourself to the car. You get into it and trust that it will get you home. In just such a way you get saved. You believe into Christ; you trust yourself to Him.”

Beloved…Believe God…believe His promises. Be aware of what you are meditating on as you go about your day. Ask Him to reveal to you the lies that keep you from experiencing His peace.  Ask Him to unite your heart to fear Him. Ask Him to help your unbelief. He will do that work.  He will bring you safely through this world to your home in heaven with Him. He is preparing a place for you.  He who has promised is faithful.  He will do it. 

Keep your heart with all diligence,

For out of it spring the issues of life.—Proverbs 4:23

Hear my cry, O God;

Attend to my prayer.

From the end of the earth I will cry to You,

When my heart is overwhelmed;

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.—Psalm 61:1-2

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.—Philippians 4:4-9

And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.—1 John 5:11-13

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.—Ephesians 1:3-14

Behold, God is my salvation,

I will trust and not be afraid;

For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song;

He also has become my salvation.'"—Isaiah 12:2

But We Will Remember…Psalm 20

 

Last night before I went to sleep I spent time in Psalm 20. David was going out to battle, but before he did he went into the sanctuary of God to pray.  The congregation joined him and interceded for him. Even half asleep I couldn’t miss where David and the people placed their trust. Read through it and you will see what I mean. 

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble;

May the name of the God of Jacob defend you;

May He send you help from the sanctuary,

And strengthen you out of Zion;

May He remember all your offerings,

And accept your burnt sacrifice.

Selah

May He grant you according to your heart's desire,

And fulfill all your purpose.

We will rejoice in your salvation,

And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!

May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.

Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed;

He will answer him from His holy heaven

With the saving strength of His right hand.

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;

But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

They have bowed down and fallen;

But we have risen and stand upright.

Save, LORD!

May the King answer us when we call.—Psalm 20

Clearly, it was God’s favor they entreated and it was God in whom they placed their trust. 

The Christian life is a battle and there are days when I become battle worn and battle weary.  Verse 7 in particular really helped me gain perspective last night.  Thinking on it brought winning to my wearying. 

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;

But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

Remember means to keep in memory or ponder.  What does the Psalm tell us to keep in our memories and ponder…the name of the Lord.  The object of David’s faith was not chariots or horses or any other thing…it was in the name of the Lord. God’s name is His nature, His reputation and character.  

Beloved…David’s faith was strengthened when he meditated on what he knew of his God.  Thinking on who God is increases our trust in Him. This brought me back to one of the very first verses the Lord impressed on my heart shortly after He saved me.

You will keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on You,

Because he trusts in You.

Trust in the LORD forever,

For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.—Isaiah 26:3-4

Praying today that by His gracious Spirit I can keep my mind stayed on Him, for in Him is victory, strength and peace. 

Out of Sorts…

 

My birds were very much out of sorts this morning because one of their “people” was missing.  Soooo much screeching...so much crying!  The cacophony was so loud at times that it was hard to hear anything else.  The birds themselves couldn’t even hear our ministrations that were meant to bring them peace and comfort.  I can get like that when I am in the midst of a trial. When, like my birds this morning, the proverbial rug has been pulled out from under me and life as I have grown accustomed to it is upended.   I screech and cry and drown out my God’s still small voice which is seeking to bring comfort and guidance to my heart.  Oh, that I would cease striving and listen! That I would be as a weaned child before Him!  Hearing my birds struggle this morning as I read through 2 Samuel 22 helped me to set aside the cacophony of voices in my own head and purpose to listen and to hear His instead. As you read the verses below, allow the Lord to minister to your own heart as the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to bring you comfort and direct your path. 

7 In my distress I called upon the LORD,

And cried out to my God;

He heard my voice from His temple,

And my cry entered His ears.

14 "The LORD thundered from heaven,

And the Most High uttered His voice.

17 "He sent from above, He took me,

He drew me out of many waters.

18 He delivered me from my strong enemy,

From those who hated me;

For they were too strong for me.

19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

But the LORD was my support.

20 He also brought me out into a broad place;

He delivered me because He delighted in me.

29 "For You are my lamp, O LORD;

The LORD shall enlighten my darkness.

30 For by You I can run against a troop;

By my God I can leap over a wall.

31 As for God, His way is perfect;

The word of the LORD is proven;

He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

32 "For who is God, except the LORD?

And who is a rock, except our God?

33 God is my strength and power,

And He makes my way perfect.

34 He makes myfn feet like the feet of deer,

36 "You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;

Your gentleness has made me great.

37 You enlarged my path under me;

So my feet did not slip.

40 For You have armed me with strength for the battle;

You have subdued under me those who rose against me.

47 “The LORD lives!

Blessed be my Rock!

Let God be exalted,

The Rock of my salvation!

In Spirit and in Truth…

 

There was so much in today’s readings.  They read like a beautiful symphony complementing one another in turn. 

Malachi reminded us of the ugliness of serving God with a heart filled with hypocrisy. The actions of the priests and the people made it clear that their professions of love for God were empty and meaningless.  Instead of leading people to God, they turned the hearts of would be worshipers aside by putting stumbling blocks in their way.  Instead of honoring God’s name, they despised it by their actions.  

Revelation Chapter 21 stands in stark contrast.  John speaks here of the true temple in the New Jerusalem. 

But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. 24 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. 25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). 26 And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. 27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.—Revelation 21:22-27

The true people of God here on earth worship God from the heart in Spirit and in truth.  Their love for Him is reflected in their words and their deeds.  They are the over-comers described in Revelation 21:7 who will inherit all things. John follows this up in verse 8 with a description of the people who were overcome by sin and whose destiny is not heaven but hell. 

“He who overcomes shall inherit all things,fn and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving,abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”—Revelation 21:7-8

Finally Psalm 149 describes both the temporal and the eternal spiritual beauty of the one who has faith in Jesus.  Earthly beauty always ends...spiritual beauty is eternal. 

For the LORD takes pleasure in His people;

He will beautify the humble with salvation.—Psalm 149:4

The Lord beautifies His true worshippers with salvation. As we behold His beauty, we become beautiful ourselves because we become like Him and reflect His beauty to those around us. 

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.—2 Corinthians 3:18

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.—1 John 3:2

To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”—Isaiah 61:3

Beloved, all that we do and all that we say that has meaning both temporally and eternally will flow out from a heart that worships God in Spirit and in truth.  Without Him we can do nothing good. Which brings us back to the book of Malachi. 

Awake, O north wind,

And come, O south!

Blow upon my garden,

That its spices may flow out.

Let my beloved come to his garden

And eat its pleasant fruits.—Song of Songs 4:16

May the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands.  

One Life Changed by the Power of God…

 

Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us." So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God. Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.—Acts 3:1-10

—Peter and John go to the temple at the hour of prayer…

—Their eyes look outward and upward as Jesus’ did and they see the hopeless and helpless beggar laying at the Gate Beautiful and have compassion.  

—-Peter and John have empty hands and empty pockets but their hearts have Jesus.

—They give the beggar what they did have.  They gave Him Jesus.

—And by the faith that comes from Him…by the power of God…healed the man who was lame.

—One life changed…

—One life changed gave Peter an opportunity to preach Christ

—One life changed confirmed some in belief and others in their sin

—One life changed by the power of God yielded much fruit

In Acts Chapter 2 Peter proved by the Scriptures (Joel 2:28-32) that God had raised Jesus from the dead. In Acts 3 a lame man was healed in His name. 

—In Acts 4 they were arrested by the Sadducees who were greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 

Verse 3 of Acts 4 says this

And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.

Verse 4 this..

However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

Praying today that we as believers would walk in those works that He has prepared beforehand for us. That we would walk like Peter and John looking outward and upward with hearts of compassion for the hurting and lost. That we would not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.  

Oh Father…by Your Holy Spirit make these precious words from the book of Philippians come alive in each one of our lives. 

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.—Philippians 1:9-11

For God is My Defense, My God of Mercy...

 

But I will sing of Your power;

Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;

For You have been my defense

And refuge in the day of my trouble.

To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;

For God is my defense,

My God of mercy.—Psalm 59:16-17

…I will sing psalms, and hymns and spiritual songs with grace in my heart to You, my Lord. I will give thanks to my God who performs all things for me. Riches and honor come from You....in Your hand is power and might...you give strength and reign over all. 

I know, like Job did, that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.  All power belongs to my God!  

Your mercy, oh Lord, is great above the heavens, And Your truth reaches to the clouds.  Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us,

But to Your name give glory,

Because of Your mercy,

Because of Your truth.

You are my refuge and my strength.

A very present help in trouble.  Therefore I

will not fear.  

You, LORD, preserve the simple;

I was brought low, and You saved me.

Return to your rest, O my soul,

For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.

With my enemy is an arm of flesh; but You, the LORD my God are with me to help me  and to fight my battles.  You delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, For they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but You were my support.  You also brought me out into a broad place; You delivered me because You delighted in me.

Oh Lord, my God, in You I put my trust!

Known to God from Eternity Are All His Works…

 

 "Known to God from eternity are all His works.—Acts 15:18

And now, Lord, what do I wait for?

My hope is in You.—Psalm 39:7

The counsel of the LORD stands forever,

The plans of His heart to all generations.—Psalm 33:11

I am just gonna rest here today.  As Spurgeon is apt to say, I am gonna lay my head down on the pillow of my God’s sovereignty and immutability.

God’s plans stand forever!! Known to God from eternity are all His works. The world, my circumstances and the people around me (me included) change so quickly that it is difficult for me to keep up! My God, thankfully, does not.  He is completely trustworthy.  Neither He, nor His plans for me, ever change and it is in Him that I live and move and have my being. 

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.—Galatians 2:20

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.—Ephesians 2:8-10

1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me.

2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;

You understand my thought afar off.

3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,

And are acquainted with all my ways.

4 For there is not a word on my tongue,

But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.

5 You have hedged me behind and before,

And laid Your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high, I cannot attain it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;

If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

9 If I take the wings of the morning,

And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,

And Your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me,"

Even the night shall be light about me;

12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,

But the night shines as the day;

The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

13 For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother's womb.

14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!

18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;

When I awake, I am still with You.

19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!

Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.

20 For they speak against You wickedly;

Your enemies take Your name in vain.

21 Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You?

And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?

22 I hate them with perfect hatred;

I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.—Psalm 139