Resting or Worrying

#pastoreddie #wlalwcc #talmid

Resting or Worrying

John 14:27

John 14:27 (NASB)

27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

Our souls are made for God. He is our natural home, and we can never be at rest anywhere else. We talk about obeying the commands of the Lord and make a great point of outward observances and duties, all the while ignoring or neglecting the commands as to the inner life, which are a thousandfold more important. “…Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14:27), is one of our Lord’s commands that is almost universally disobeyed; yet I question whether our disobedience of any other command is so grievous to His heart.

I would be far more grieved if my child mistrusted me and felt his interests were unsafe in my care than if in a moment of temptation he disobeyed me. None of us have appreciated how deeply it wounds the loving heart of our Lord to find that His people do not feel safe in His care.

Suppose a friend should commit something to our keeping, receiving from us every assurance that we would keep it safe, and then go away and worry over it as we worry over the things we commit to God. And suppose he then went to others and expressed anxieties about it the way we allow ourselves to express anxiety about the things we put into God’s care. How would we feel about it? Would we not be deeply hurt and wounded? Would we not finally be inclined to hand the thing back to our friend and say, “Since it is very plain that you do not trust me, had you not better take care of your things yourself?”