1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 1: Life Audio. Hello, thank you for listening to your Daily 2 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:18,000 Speaker 1: Bible Verse, the podcast that examines one verse each day 3 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:21,440 Speaker 1: to learn more about God and his will for us. 4 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:25,320 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Juey A. Williams, and after this short 5 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: word from our sponsor, we'll continue with our lent series 6 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:32,760 Speaker 1: God Meets You in the Wilderness with a discussion on 7 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:49,519 Speaker 1: John chapter fourteen, verse twenty seven. Today's Bible verse is 8 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: John fourteen, verse twenty seven. Peace. I leave with you 9 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 1: my peace. I give to you not as the world gives. 10 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:02,320 Speaker 1: Do I give to you you. Let not your hearts 11 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 1: be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Well, these words 12 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:11,840 Speaker 1: Jesus spoke to his disciples must have been a refreshing 13 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:17,120 Speaker 1: reassurance as they sat in the wilderness of questions. In 14 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:21,200 Speaker 1: John fourteen, Jesus told his disciples that one of them 15 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 1: was a trader. He also said all of them would 16 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:28,040 Speaker 1: abandon him, and that soon he would leave and go 17 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:33,320 Speaker 1: prepare a place for them. I imagine Christ's disciples wondered 18 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 1: about how all of this would come together. I imagine they 19 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:41,480 Speaker 1: wondered what threat would cause them to abandon their rabbi. 20 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 1: Why would one of the twelve betray Jesus. Where was 21 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:51,559 Speaker 1: Jesus going? For three years they followed him. They saw 22 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 1: the miracles, heard the teachings, and experienced everyday life with 23 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 1: the Son of God. And yet Jesus saw their faith 24 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: began to dry up in a desert of what was unknown, 25 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: and his reply was, let not your heart be troubled, 26 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:16,800 Speaker 1: neither let them be afraid. But the disciples are not 27 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:21,520 Speaker 1: the only ones needing peace when they're bombarded with anxiety 28 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 1: or scared out of their binds. The question for us 29 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:29,519 Speaker 1: is what do we do when we have more questions 30 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:34,959 Speaker 1: than answers. While initially I feel overwhelmed by the circumstances, 31 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:40,560 Speaker 1: sometimes even panicky, and I'm desperate for God's intervention, I 32 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 1: can overanalyze until I crumble beneath the weight of my 33 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:50,960 Speaker 1: own limitations. But eventually I come to my spiritual senses 34 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:55,960 Speaker 1: and begin to see God. Because it's not uncommon for 35 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:59,360 Speaker 1: us to have questions about what is ending or what 36 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:03,520 Speaker 1: is beginning. Lives who has a d wrestle with wondering 37 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:08,679 Speaker 1: why something did or didn't happen. But as we consider 38 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 1: the Lenten season, this time of preparation is also a 39 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:19,960 Speaker 1: time of revelation. Therefore, Jesus is not just encouraging us 40 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:25,760 Speaker 1: to be at peace. Jesus is our source of peace. 41 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:29,680 Speaker 1: We have peace with God because Christ has paid the 42 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 1: price for our sins. But we also have the peace 43 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 1: of God when we let Christ displace the worry at 44 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 1: the center of our lives. Now, to be honest, this 45 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:45,080 Speaker 1: call to release trouble and fear from our hearts. It 46 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:49,880 Speaker 1: may feel rather unrealistic if we just focus on our situation, 47 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 1: but Jesus instructs us to magnify the reality of who 48 00:03:56,080 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: he is and the help he sins. Jesus said to 49 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:04,200 Speaker 1: his twelve disciples and to everyone who would follow him, 50 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:08,240 Speaker 1: the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send 51 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:12,120 Speaker 1: in my name. He will teach you all things and 52 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:15,040 Speaker 1: bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you, 53 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:20,080 Speaker 1: And that is in John fourteen, verse twenty six. Well, 54 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:23,680 Speaker 1: we need the truth of God's word to inform our 55 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:27,359 Speaker 1: troubled hearts. We need the water of his world to 56 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 1: rush in like a cleansing tide, and to pull around 57 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:36,800 Speaker 1: us like a comforting stream. Thankfully, Jesus makes a distinction 58 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 1: between the peace he gives and the peace the world offers. Now, 59 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 1: Jesus's peace is eternal and surpasses our understanding. We read 60 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:51,800 Speaker 1: about that in Philippians Chapter four, verses six and seven. 61 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:57,360 Speaker 1: The world's peace is situational, and it demands an explanation. 62 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:04,240 Speaker 1: Jesus's peace remain steady as we remain focused on God's power. 63 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:08,840 Speaker 1: We read about that in Isaiah twenty six and three. 64 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:12,719 Speaker 1: The world's peace. However, it appeals to our need to 65 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:17,080 Speaker 1: be in control. Hence, today's Bible verse is not just 66 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:22,440 Speaker 1: a suggestion for us to calm what troubles us. Jesus's 67 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:27,599 Speaker 1: words are imperative to receive the comfort and calm of God. 68 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:32,359 Speaker 1: He knows what breaks us or what burdens us, and 69 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:36,560 Speaker 1: Jesus steps into it with the authority that is his alone. 70 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:42,479 Speaker 1: Let's listen to Jesus's words again. Peace I leave with 71 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:46,960 Speaker 1: you my peace. I give to you, not as the 72 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:50,680 Speaker 1: world gives. Do I give to you. Let not your 73 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:57,320 Speaker 1: hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Well, dear listener, 74 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:01,480 Speaker 1: if we find ourselves in the wilderness of unanswered questions, 75 00:06:02,279 --> 00:06:07,039 Speaker 1: let's focus on God. Jesus is the answer. Now, he 76 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:10,800 Speaker 1: may work in ways we don't understand, but we can 77 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:15,480 Speaker 1: trust his ways no matter what. Let's pray about it. 78 00:06:16,839 --> 00:06:21,359 Speaker 1: Dear God, when we have more questions than answers, the 79 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:25,240 Speaker 1: answer is to seek you, to trust you, and to 80 00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:29,880 Speaker 1: receive your peace. Help us, Lord to sense your strength 81 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:33,839 Speaker 1: and our weakness. Help us to allow your power to 82 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:38,120 Speaker 1: overtake every fear. Thank you for leading us through the 83 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:42,520 Speaker 1: wilderness of our questions and drenching us with your faithfulness 84 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:48,040 Speaker 1: and love. And this is our prayer in Jesus' name. Amen.