Yeshua: “Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled”

I wrote this almost 13 years ago on December 30, 2010! But it seems like I wrote it today. God's word is timeless; headlines change (a bit) but these truths are STILL relevant to us today. I pray you are blessed in reading this.

Wow, what a passage: A promise from the Son of God, the Creator of all things (Col. 1:16), that He cares for you. Don’t let your heart be troubled!

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” – John 14:1-3

In a world where rouge nations like Iran and N. Korea are seeking nuclear weapons, where national economies may be on the brink of collapse, and where life just feels more and more insecure as we read the headlines each day, Yeshua offers us peace right in the middle of the storm. He says I care for you. I am in heaven building you a mansion. You don’t need to be insecure. I am in control. Don’t let your hearts be troubled!

Sometimes you have to fight to stay in peace. I know that sounds like a contradiction, but if you just let the Nightly News control your emotions you will be a basket case. There is enough bad news in this world to weigh down our hearts 24/7. But we are called to fight the good fight of faith. And that takes a radical decision to trust God.

God calls us to walk by faith and not by sight. In Hebrews we are told that faith—true faith in God—is focusing on that which is unseen rather than that which is seen; that faith is the evidence of those things which are unseen (Hebrews 11:1) How strange is that? Imagine a photographer trying to focus on something that is unseen! You can’t do it. And yes, He tells us that this is the only way to enjoy a peace-filled life. You see, the peace that passes understanding, the peace that God offers does not come from a life without struggles—the peace comes from the confidence that in every circumstance, God is in control; He is for us, not against us.

So—what is unseen? Heaven, Yeshua, the fact that God is in control, our eternal reward, forgiveness, our future blessings, and so much more.

Don’t focus on your difficult situation—instead focus on the unseen truths of heaven, the eternal promises of God. This is why Paul tells us, “[Y]ou have been raised with Messiah, set your hearts on things above, where Messiah is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” We set our eyes above because that is where Yeshua is. That is where miracles reside. That is where every answer to prayer can be found—not on earth with a pencil and notepad, but at the right hand of the father. And through prayer, we focus on heaven and get heaven’s answer.

We all have burdens that we must deal with. Just as I have been writing this, my wife has informed me that the landlord just told her that they are selling our house! That means we have to move in four months—just as I get back from Nigeria with the Isaiah 2 team and before I go to the US to speak at a conference. Where will we live? How much will it cost? Packing—oy vey! (This has been a recurring theme for us during our 20 years in Israel.)

And yet I have two choices. 1) Panic, fret, worry or 2) remind myself that God is in control and that if we are being forced to move, He has a more strategic place for us to live. Maybe He has set in motion what we would not have on our own. I am going to choose to not let my heart be troubled.

I will seek to set my heart on things above. There is no panic in heaven and the Bible says that the kingdom is within us. We need to learn how to tap into that kingdom confidence that is already alive inside of us.

So, as we enter into a new year and the world seems to be less secure than ever here is some encouragement: Let not your heart be troubled. There is a better world waiting for us. The contractor is Yeshua Himself. He is preparing you for eternity and eternity for you.