John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

The KJV of the Bible uses the word “tribulation” in place of the word “trouble”. I’m not even going to the dictionary for a definition of this word “tribulation”. If you have been alive for any length of time, you know what I am talking about. It is not a single event that stretches you, it is a chain of negative events that seem to leave you no breathing room.

Jesus was very realistic. He knew what was going to happen to him and to his disciples in the days leading up to and following his crucifixion. He wanted to make sure that they were prepared mentally and, most importantly, he wanted to give them hope. Hope is the essential thing when you are in deep difficulty. Hope has to be pinned to something or, more appropriately in this case, someone. The disciples were to hope in the fact that Jesus’ love for them was real to the point of sacrifice, that the Holy Spirit would bring them comfort in their sorrow, and that the Father loved them as well and would answer their prayers. Only if they understood all this would they enjoy the peace he was speaking about.

So take a look at your situation in the light of everything Jesus taught his disciples in this 16^th Chapter of John. Are you experiencing tribulation?  Do not allow hopelessness to engulf you. Take Jesus at his word, realizing that even if it came as a surprise to you it is no surprise to him. Now read Daniel 3: 1-27. This is what the Holy Spirit said to me once after reading that passage:

            “I never leave my children to suffer alone. I have said so in my word. The things that invade the lives of my children are ordained by me to the end that they should be purified. But it is at those times that I come to them and I stand with them and I walk with them, and I will talk with them if they desire me to do so. I need them to recognize my presence with them and know that I am the Eternal God and my word is my bond.”