Bruce Collins, Evangelist

John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled (or agitated): ye believe in God, believe also in me (or possibly, have faith in God, have faith also in me).
Luke 10:41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled (or disturbed) about many things:

In the United States today we live in one of the best countries at one of the best times in history. The average person has more wealth and a better home than many who were considered rich in other periods of history. However, many people seem agitated and disturbed and in many cases, they really don’t know why.

The disciples were disturbed in John 14 because the Lord was telling them things they couldn’t accept. He was giving them a last personal message and was preparing them for His crucifixion after having kept the Passover and eating the Lord’s Supper with them. But the disciples didn’t want the Lord to die, they wanted Him to reign. Because things weren’t working out the way they wanted, they were agitated. And the Lord’s message was trust me and you won’t be troubled.

Martha was disturbed in Luke 10 because she was working when she should have been listening. She wanted help being a good hostess; and Mary, her sister, was sitting at the Lord’s feet listening to Him. She was acting like what He had to say was important instead of helping her sister serve. Mary wanted to be with Him. Martha wanted to do for Him. Obviously, both woman loved the Lord. Both were trying to express it in their own way. But the Lord said that what Mary was doing was better than what Martha was doing. He would rather have us enjoying Him and His presence than having us disturbed because we have taken on serving responsibilities that rob us of our personal fellowship time with Him.

Some times we are disturbed because we know we are not right with God. This is called the conviction of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8). Most people I know that have come to know the Lord as their Savior can point to a time when they were “troubled”. David could say, “The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul (Psalm 116:3-4).” We know that sin often causes us to be troubled and it is the Lord who gives us peace or rest with regard to that trouble. That is why His invitation is to come to Him if we are burdened and He will give us rest (Matthew 11:28).

So why are we so troubled, today? Most of us are concerned about the future and what it holds for our children. The Lord says, trust me and “let not your heart be troubled.” We wonder how we are going to pay our bills particularly if we get sick. Again, the Lord says, trust me and “let not your heart be troubled.” Some of us are working for the Lord when we should be listening to the Lord and enjoying His presence. Some of us are not right with God and we need to come to Him to get the rest that only He can give when we trust Him as the One who bore our sins in His own body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24).

Some of us may need Prozac or some other medication because of the way we are made. I don’t think that should disturb us. We take Tylenol or Bayer aspirin for headaches. We take insulin for diabetes. Some of us need medication to balance the chemicals in our brains that cause us depression. But we all need to believe in or trust the Lord if we are going to have the kind of peace that we really need to get through this life. We need to know that our futures are secure, that there is a home prepared for us in heaven and that the Lord is going to come again to take us to be with Him. Trusting the Lord helps us get up in the morning saying, “Good morning, Lord!,” instead of getting up saying, “Good Lord, morning!” and wondering how we are going to get through another day.

Bruce Collins