Vol. 21 No. 18 | May 6, 2019
“Don’t let this throw you. You trust God, don’t you?” (John 14:1, The Message)
Those were the words Jesus shared with His disciples as He was preparing them for the changes to come.
Let’s look at the statement in two parts.
Don’t let this throw you. Other translations say, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled.”
Jesus’s disciples had been following Him for the better part of three years, listening to Him teach. Now it was time for Him to show his love by encouraging them to not be thrown by His departure.
I smiled as I typed that because I know how many times I have said or heard similar words.
As a husband and father: “We’re moving to another city, a different neighborhood, a different school, a different church, and different community, but don’t let this throw you.”
As a church leader: “What I’m (we’re) suggesting is a major change in how we have thought about and done things, but don’t let this throw you.”
As a relationship counselor: “What I’m suggesting is going to take a lot of work and will not always be pleasant or easy, but don’t let this throw you.”
To myself: “This decision is going to change your whole world, but don’t let this throw you.”
A common response from the listener might be: “That’s easy for you to say!”…to which Jesus would respond, “You trust God, don’t you?”
Ouch!
But that’s the key, isn’t it? Trust. Real trust in the One who can be trusted. Confidence that He will do what He says He will do- send a guardian to comfort us, prepare a place for us, never leave us, provide us wisdom and insight to live the life we were created to live.
But change can be hard, even when we initiate it, and trusting God is not always easy. There are times when life hits us hard and we do get thrown or knocked off balance. Loss and grief do that to us. Health issues, financial upheavals, accidents, and disappointment does that to us.
But, these experiences don’t have to destroy us. That’s what Jesus was trying to get His disciples to understand and trust.
So if you find that your heart is troubled or you’ve been knocked off balance by one of these sneak attacks, take a deep breath (or two or three), admit where you are, get help if you need to, and then muster all your strength and say, “Yes, Lord I trust you. I know You are the way.”
And you just might hear a whisper, “Don’t let this throw you. I’m with you.”
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