I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.

John 16:33 (NLT)

Jesus never promised that the Christian life would be easy. In fact, he promised you would struggle. He promised that life would probably be a lot harder following Him. That’s why we need Holy Spirit in our lives to encourage, comfort, and guide us into all truth.

This passage above is one of the last times that Jesus spoke to His disciples before being wrongly arrested, tried, convicted and then crucified. He knew what was coming. But he needed to tell the disciples that hardships were coming very soon. He needed them to know that the life of following Him is one with many trials and sorrows.

Those trying times though, instead of driving us away from Jesus, giving up when things get tough, are intended to drive us back to Him, to be even more desperate for all of His promises. Even when the world seems to be falling down all around us, we can have peace. We can know that this was coming and true peace is found in Jesus, our Good Shepherd guiding us through the difficulty. Jesus, the Good Shepherd has already endured all that we face in this world and He has overcome!

Be encouraged today! Find your peace in Him and take heart when you face the many trials and sorrows of this world. He has overcome it all!

– Jason