LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
It had been a long and exciting evening. I was guiding a bear hunt many years ago in NW Ontario and just before dark I had gotten contacted by one hunter that he had hit a bear with his bow. It was just getting dark when I arrived by boat. The hunter was shooting a 95 pound draw weight bow and his arrow had angled forward through the body, putting him down instantly. We grabbed the bear and drug it off from the bait to clean it.
I began into the bear’s body cavity and as I reached into the chest cavity, I felt something move. I jumped back, not knowing what I had felt. I put my hands back in and realized while the bear was paralyzed and I’m sure brain dead… no one told his heart… it was still beating. I’ve had it happen with deer before, but a beating bear heart in my hands was pretty creepy and a little frightening.
After loading the bear we headed to another stand and picked up another hunter with his bear. As we pushed the boat away from that stand site fog was setting in very quickly. We were about 10 miles from camp, it was pitch dark and now the fog was so thick on the water I couldn’t see anything. I had a long way to navigate in total darkness… I went strictly by feel.. I could have kept my eyes closed but I was too afraid. It was probably the most scared I have ever been in the woods (except for the grizzly bear attack). I was shaken.
Ever since earlier this decade fear has gripped our nation. Starting with Covid and continuing through one scare after another possible additional pandemics. Now with AI becoming increasingly more prevalent and we no longer can tell what’s real and what is unreal.
John 14:27 speaks of Jesus, as he talked to His disciples right before He headed to a day of torture and then the cross. One of the most amazing things to me is the fact that Jesus was facing unimaginable pain and death and where were His thoughts? … on the peace and comfort of His disciples. If it had been you and me, I believe we would have been looking for a place to hide, a way to fight the fear building up in ourselves or just running… But Jesus was looking to help His friends fight their fear.
This verse in the book of John was not only written to Jesus’ disciples that were there with Him that day. It was also written directly to you and me. We can count on all that Jesus said.
“My peace I give to you", imagine going through life if we made use of God’s peace in our lives… It’s been given to us by God. Why aren’t we relying on Him.
“Neither let it be afraid “… if we accept His peace and keep our hearts from being troubled, we will not be afraid.
Who can harm us? Why do we fear? Someone or something could take our human life, but if we know Jesus Christ, nothing and no one can touch our eternal life. Philippians 1:21 tell us, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” What’s the worse that can happen to us? We end up in the arms of Jesus.
Fear and worry are the two biggest things that rob our joy and actually can shorten our lives. God gives us a way out. “Let not your hear be troubled.”
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