God’s Promise and Scripture

God’s Promise: God has promised us both that these difficulties can be expected, but also that He has provided us the solution in Jesus

Scripture: “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.” (John 16:33)

Devotional

The Christmas season is typically marked as a season of joy, happiness, and celebration. And why wouldn’t it be? God sending His Son to Earth is certainly worth that level of celebration.

However, it can also be a season of hurt and hardship. Within the people reading this devotional, some people are experiencing this Christmas after the loss of a loved one for the first time (or for the tenth time), others may be in a season of separation from family members, and still others may be drowning under the weight of financial hardships, facing the social pressure and expectations that accompany the Christmas season in America.

Whatever difficulty you, or someone you know, may be walking through, God has promised us both that these difficulties can be expected, but also that He has provided us the solution in Jesus:

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.”

In John 16, Jesus is preparing His disciples for His impending death. He tells them that they will soon have a time of grief, followed by celebration.

My faith journey includes recognizing God’s promise of peace while walking through times of trouble.

A significant milestone in my faith journey occurred in my junior year of high school. That year, I lost both grandfathers within 4 months. Seeing the reactions of my grandmothers to their loss helped to solidify my faith in Jesus. One grandmother did not have a faith, and was completely lost after her husband passed. After his death, she was overcome with loneliness. She spent the rest of her life running away from the hurt and loneliness of her loss. Her life after my grandfather became defined by her running away from her family and spending her time seeking entertainment to fill her time.

By contrast, my other grandmother had a strong, personal faith in Jesus. I will never forget watching her console other people at her husband’s funeral! She had peace knowing that he was in heaven and that she would be with him again in eternity. 

To me, the clear difference in one grandmother walking through loss with peace and the other in a spiral of despair was clear…it was the difference in having a faith in Jesus or not.

Similarly, when I lost my father suddenly in 2015, I never had to question my faith. One week, my dad was helping us move into an apartment in Uptown, the next, I was delivering his eulogy. I experienced the pain that comes with losing someone so close; I had to walk through that grief, and still experience it now, 10 years later.

But, thanks to the examples of my grandmothers, I was able to lean on a faith built on this promise from God, which allowed my grief to be buoyed by the peace that God promises to those who believe.

In today’s culture, we are often fed the false question that asks, if God is perfect, then why do bad things happen?

We know that, despite what culture says, God actually promises that bad things will happen. But, He has given us the answer, through our faith that He sent His Son to die for our sins, we can have peace amidst the difficulties.

So, whether you find yourself in a season of trouble or a season of peace this Christmas, you can rest easy knowing that God has prepared us for both.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. Are you, or someone you know, walking into this Christmas season facing trouble? Take a moment to lift those troubles to God in prayer. Ask for the peace He has promised through Jesus.

2. Does your faith fluctuate based on how happy you are? How does this promise change how you view difficulties?

3. Is there a “struggle” that you have walked through in the past? In what ways can you look back and see God’s purpose and provision in that season?