Being told news pertaining to suffering, pain, separation, sickness, and death is hard to take. But the reality is, it exists in our world. Jesus knew this when He gave His farewell discourse to His disciples. He knew it was difficult to digest and something the disciples did not want to hear. Remember when Jesus explained His impending suffering and death to His disciples in Matthew 16:21 and He rebuked Peter when he said, “Never, Lord!” “This shall never happen to you!”?
Like Peter, because we are in the world, it is easy for us to see and process things the way the world makes sense of them. Romans 12:2 tells us not to be conformed to this world but to have our minds renewed so that we can be transformed.
Several times throughout John 16, Jesus uses the words–” I have told you these things…” He gave reasons as to why He is letting them in on what the future held for Him.
In business, in our pursuits, and even in our daily lives coaches urge us to find and know the “why” behind what we do. Knowing our “Why” emboldens us to approach the starting line, encourages us to keep going, and empowers us to reach the finish line even when things don’t go as planned along the way. Knowing our “Why” changes our perspective and transforms our thinking to help us keep moving from point A to point B.
So, why can we have peace amid the difficulties and struggles in life?
We find it in John 16:33. We can have peace because Jesus has overcome the world. Jesus’ victory over suffering and death is our victory. It is this victory that allows us to have the Prince of Peace living in us (Galatians 2:20). In Him, we have our peace.
❤️& Blessings.