Triumph Through Trouble

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

When Jesus saw that His disciples truly understood who He was, He made a startling statement. It was one they were not prepared to hear: “Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me” (John 16:32).

God’s plan for redemption did not include lifting the disciples out of their immediate surroundings. The pain and stress of facing life as children of God would never deliver them from the earthly reality of trouble. Jesus made that clear when He said: “In the world you have tribulation” (John 16:33).

Soon after these words, the agony of the cross was His to bear. How did He withstand such tribulation? Christ’s life was anchored in the plan of the Father, not in the things of the world. Jesus was not worried about men and their false accusations, nor was He overwhelmed by trials or earthly tribulations. He had overcome the world.

What is His personal word to you when trials come without warning? “These things I [share with] you, so that in Me you may have [a] peace [that passes all human understanding]. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

“...I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5