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Everyone at times in this life experiences what J.C. Ryle called “heart trouble.” Young and old, moms and dads, pastors and parishioners—all of us at times battle frustration, confusion, dejection, and despair. Is there a cure for the troubles of our hearts?
When Jesus told His disciples that one of them would betray Him (Matt. 26:21–22) and that He would soon go where they could not immediately follow (John 13:33), waves of heart trouble crashed over them. Jesus responded with simple counsel: “Let not your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1). Is this enough? Is Jesus’ command to “let not your hearts be troubled” anything more than a platitude for His disciples, then and now? There are three things to consider in answering that question.
First, Jesus refers to “trouble”—mental and spiritual anguish—that He knew well. This term characterized His own pain over Lazarus’ death (John 11:33), His impending betrayal by Judas (John 13:21), and His dread of the cross (John 12:27). This means that, in an ultimate sense, we need not be troubled because a troubled Jesus has borne the grief that follows from our sins for which He died. This is why Jesus immediately urges His disciples to “believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1). Is this not what we need to do with all our heart troubles? Believe on Jesus more strongly, more steadily, more resolutely, telling ourselves again and again: “Jesus reigns over all. He loves me. He will not let me go.”
Second, Jesus reminded His disciples that the cause of their heartache—namely, His imminent departure—was to their advantage: “In my Father’s house are many rooms. . . . I go to prepare a place for you” (v. 2). He did not mean that heaven’s beds needed sheets but meant that our sin needed to be covered before the Father’s face. Jesus has ascended to heaven to fill that realm with the radiance of His life, making heaven a safe home for all who trust in Him. Reader, if you are a Christian, your most severe heart trouble is heading for extinction in the unclouded glory and happiness of heaven, where Christ has gone on your behalf.
Third, Jesus cures our trouble with the assurance of sinless fellowship with Him forever. “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (v. 3). To have His people with Him is Jesus’ ardent desire. To be with Him in paradise (see Luke 23:43) will be our unending joy. Our hope of glory today (Col. 1:27)––that we are with Him now through faith, and He is with us in the bond of the Spirit—guarantees that our heart trouble will soon end.
Will you remember the trouble that Jesus bore, the heaven that He has prepared for you, and the blessing of new life that He is pouring into you today? These unseen eternal things outshine and will outlast all the heartache of this world (2 Cor. 4:17–18).