Told Ahead of Time

We often act surprised when trouble comes, as if something has gone wrong with the plan. But Jesus told his disciples ahead of time. “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation.”

Notice he didn’t say might. He said shall. Trouble isn’t a sign that God has stopped caring. It is part of living in a broken world, and Jesus was honest about it from the start.

But he didn’t stop there. “but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” The peace he offers isn’t the absence of trouble. It is peace in him, while the trouble is still going on.

December can be hard for a lot of people. Lights and music on the outside, grief or worry underneath. If that is you, you haven’t been forgotten. Jesus told you it would come, and he told you he has already overcome it.