Living in the Best of Times
31. Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?
32. “Behold, the hour is coming, yes, is now come, that you shall be scattered, everyone to his own, and shall leave Me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.”
33. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you will have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:31-35
Living in Uncertain Times
No one will dispute that these are uncertain times. These are times in which many are confused, and afraid. These are times in which anxiety is running high but faith in God is running low. In these uncertain times, people are talking among themselves and hoping to find resolution but have not earnestly cried out to God. What should we do in uncertain times? I recommend seeking God.
The world would suggest that you secure your own interest. The world would recommend throwing off all restraint and living only for today, as some poets have said. Live for today for tomorrow we die. Yet, how can we as Christians take on that attitude when our faith has called us to remain committed to God? What should we do in uncertain times? I recommend serving God.
Times of uncertainty calls for faith in the Living God. Jesus gave the Disciples sound directions for uncertain times. First, He reassured them that their faith should remain active despite uncertainty. “Do you believe now?” They had made the profound statement that every believer not only should make, but must proclaim in full confidence that Jesus knows all things and does not depend on man’s wisdom. They said to Jesus, “by this we believe that you came from God.” John 16:30. You would think that confession would have ended all the struggles. You would think that arriving at faith would put an end to trouble, right? Well, no it would not end the struggle.
Second, Jesus warned the Disciples that even with faith, they would abandon Him, but He would not abandon them. The Lord proceeded to tell them some of the events that would follow “believing.” This is where we join the Disciples as we too will discover that faith can be rewarding even in uncertain times. At this point, we too will discover that fulness of faith does not mean absence of conflict. Third, Jesus shares with His Disciples that true joy comes from Him and through Christ we overcome the world. In uncertain times, the believer is subject to all kinds of pressure, but our blessed assurance is found in Jesus, the One who has conquered the world. That is how we find purpose, power, and our praise in uncertain times.
Living in Troubled Times
The Barna Institute published some revealing trends on Church attendance and Christian engagement during uncertain times that helps us understand the challenges we are facing. The Barna study first noted that over the past twenty years (from 2000 to 2020) the number of practicing Christians has declined by nearly half. The practicing Christian population in America in the year 2000 represented 45% of adults. By 2020, that number had fallen to 25% of Americans. These were believers that met the criteria as practicing Christians. The reason for the decline was that some Christians had become non-practicing Christians while a similar number had become non-Christians.
This should come as no surprise. Jesus said in John 16:32, “Behold, the hour is coming, yes, is now come, that you shall be scattered, everyone to his own, and shall leave Me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.” Of course, Jesus was referring first to the original Disciples, but I also note that He was making a prophecy that applies to modern day Disciples. We must admit, that during these uncertain times, many will fall away from the faith. While many would admit that God is the answer, the statistics show that people are turning away from the answer to other things.
The impact of perilous times is felt worldwide. Shootings and homicides have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic according to a study conducted by the National Council on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice. Mental health issues are increasing at an alarming pace. People are fearful and have a growing sense of hopelessness as they view the future with ever-increasing anxiety. In the words of the late Donny Hathaway, “these are trying times with confusion all over the land.” Sadly, people are turning away from God and being scattered each to their own way, just as Jesus said. Yet there is certainty from the Throne of God to His saints. God has a planned for uncertain times and will provide for those who trust in Him. For that reason, we have confidence that while troubles are certain, troubles won’t last always. While weeping may endure for a night, joy surely will come in the morning.
One of the Disciples listening to Jesus was Peter. He heard the Lord say, “the hour is coming, yes, is now come, that you shall be scattered, everyone to his own, and shall leave Me alone …” While Peter thought he was strong and even assured the Lord that although everyone else might abandon Him, he would not; the time came when Peter not only abandons Christ, but also denied that he even knew Jesus. Trouble times bring out the worst in us.
While many would tend to boast about their faith and try to demonstrate how strong they are in the Lord, the pressure of trouble would show otherwise. We would like to think that we would be brave like Daniel or as dedicated as Elijah, but troubles have a way of revealing our weakness.
Jesus gave two prophesies about to the Disciples that helps us deal with troubled times with the right attitude. The first prophecy is you cannot depend on human strength in troubled times. Note the words of John 16:33, ““These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you will have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation…”
A young minister by the name of Dudley Tyng was part of the great revival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1858. Dudley was forced to resign his pastorate of an Episcopal Church due to his preaching against slavery. He went on to join a movement of other young preachers of the YMCA and led thousands to Christ. In his sermon in March of 1858 Tyng said, “I would rather that this right arm were amputated at the trunk than that I should come short of my duty to you in delivering God’s message.” Only a few days later Tyng, while working on his farm, his sleeve got caught in the cog wheel of a corn grinding machine and severed from his shoulder. Before his death a week later, one of his friends, Dr. George Duffield asked him what he wanted him to say to say to the fellow ministers. Tyng’s reply was, “tell them to stand up for Jesus.” Those words inspired Dr. Duffield and he wrote in the third stanza of the hymn, Stand Up For Jesus these words. Stand up! stand up for Jesus! Stand in His strength alone; The arm of flesh will fail you; Ye dare not trust your own. Put on the Gospel armor, And, watching unto prayer, Where duty calls, or danger, Be never wanting there. While Dudley Tyng literally lost his arm and life, he demonstrated how the arm of flesh fails. (source: ChristianMusicandHymns.com).
Living in the Best Times
For the Christian, these trying times and even uncertain times are still the best of times because of Jesus’ promise. The second part of the prophecy refers to God Power and Presence in the Believer’s life. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you will have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. No matter what we face and no matter when we face life’s struggles, Jesus has overcome every obstacle, hurt, barrier, sin, and threat through His Mighty Power.
The Apostle Peter learned that his flesh would fail him, but that God’s Power never fails. He wrote that we are kept by the Power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time … wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through various temptations. 1 Peter 1:5-6. Through it all, weak as we are, the Saints of God are kept by the Power of God.
From this wonderful promise of Jesus, we learn some valuable life applications. First, that Jesus overcame every threat we would ever face. Christ coming into this world in a body of flesh made Him a partaker of human suffering. As a matter of fact, Jesus suffered like no other, yet He overcame it all. Now that He has overcome all of these troubles and fears, we have become partakers of His victory. We are now partakers of His Divine Nature through faith. That makes us overcomers.
The second life application is that we have Power through Jesus’ Word. Notice He said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you will have peace.” Those Words are not just inspiration they are Words of transformation. The Power of Jesus Words can change our outcomes in life. It is only through Jesus that we can face life’s troubles and enjoy the victory of Christ. That is Good News. We not only have victory in Christ, we share the victory of Christ through the Words He has spoken to us.
Not only do we have victory in Christ and know that He has overcome every threat that we will ever face, we also have Power through the Word of Christ. This makes us strong in the Lord and in the Power of His might. Yet there is the third application that more than guarantees our victory. Jesus is with us. When Jesus assured us of victory through His overcoming power, He did not abandon us to figure life out. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you will have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Notice how Jesus said in Me you will have peace. Our victory is only guaranteed as we abide in Christ, and He abides in us. That means no matter what the times call for, we are living in the Best of Times.
The story of Eugene Bartlett, hymn writer and publisher, is an interesting one. Most of Mr. Bartlett’s life was spent with relative success. Early in his career he worked for the Central Music Company and went on to form the Hartford Music Company. He married and raised two children. Bartlett was also a well-known minister and travelled the country speaking at Churches and revivals. Life seemed to be very good until 1939 when Bartlett suffered a stroke that left him unable to walk or speak. While many concluded that Bartlett’s career and life had come to a sad close, Bartlett made the best of the times and wrote one of his most powerful hymns. Victory in Jesus. The arm of flesh had failed him, but his victory was in Jesus. While Bartlett was bedridden, his son picked up the duties of speaking and singing and sung the hymn for the first time at a revival in East Texas. That hymn caused people to respond to the invitation to Christ. Victory in Jesus means that while we may face challenges, we are living in the best of times. (source: Backstorysongs.com, 2019).
Dear God, thank you that we truly have victory in Jesus. Help us to take advantage of these times of difficulty by singing praises to Your Holy Name and recognizing that all is not lost. We are Your children. Help us to share the Good News of Victory in Jesus to all who need encouragement and grace. For Your Glory, we pray. Amen.