Be Audacious – A reflection on John 16:3
By David Hardison
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (NIV)
“I have overcome the world.” Circumstances would seem to make that a rather audacious claim. Jesus is in Gethsemane awaiting arrest as a result of betrayal by one of his closest companions. Another close friend will deny ever knowing him, and other followers will desert him. He knows that the time until his death is measured in hours. How delusional, how hollow that claim of victory would be by anyone else. But Jesus viewed things from the perspective of eternity and faith. He trusted God. Why is it so hard for me to look beyond the moment and trust The One who rules it all?
It’s really tempting to gloss over the fact that peace can coexist with trouble. The absence of trouble is only passive comfort. True peace requires active faith powered by trust in God. Our internally-generated, circumstance-based, absence-of-trouble “peace” will not hold against the world. Peace that overcomes circumstances only exists because Christ overcame the world. Since our peace comes from Him, and He never leaves us, we can have His eternal peace- regardless. Be audacious. Be at peace.