“Dad, who’s gonna win? A cheetah or a hyena?”
A few times a day I get asked a question along these lines by my five year old. It really is an amazing thing. No one ever taught him to think about who would win in a race or a fight and to set up some hypothetical scenario in his mind and then debate the outcome. It must just be a boy thing, like how every stick gets turned into a sword.
An elephant vs. a whale. A lion vs. a bear. A fire truck vs. a clown car. Batman vs. Larryboy. Dad vs. Mr. __________ (I left my opponent blank because we concluded that I would have a decisive victory and I don’t want to embarrass Mr. ________.)
As we grow up I think that we often will find ourselves still asking this question, “who’s gonna win?” Except maybe now the stakes seem a bit higher. Instead of a hypothetical and fun scenario, there seems to be big real world implications.
Let me start with some good news. I know who wins.
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Jesus said those words to His disciples in John 16:33 and by extension, those words apply to each and every believer in Jesus today. But what does that mean for us today? Why and how can we find comfort in these words? How do these words fit into the hard and frustrating circumstances in which we find ourselves?
Well, let’s start with the first part of what Jesus said, “I have said these things.” The things Jesus has just told His disciples about stretch all the way back to chapter 14. In those passages Jesus tells the disciples things about who He is, who they are, what He is doing for them, and that He knows and controls the future.
Who He Is – John 14:6, John 15:1
Who They Are – John 15:5, John 15:15, John 16:22-24
What He Is Doing For Them – John 15:26, John 14:19, John 15:7-10
He Knows And Controls The Future – John 14:26, John 16:8, John 16:20-25
Even more than that, He says that He has told them these things so that in knowing Him, hearing His voice, and being in Him, they would have peace.
In many ways, that summarizes the Christian walk doesn’t it? True peace comes when we understand who God is, who we are, what He has done for us, and remember that He is in control. This is not worldly peace that begins and ends with compromise and an uneasy cease-fire. No, this is otherworldly peace, the kind of peace that surpasses all understanding. (Phil. 4:12)
What gets me is that Jesus does not promise that this peace would happen because all trials, tribulations, hard times, and chaos would be nowhere to be found. No. Jesus tells them that those tribulations will certainly be present. In fact, those tribulations are there because the disciples have decided to follow Jesus. (John 15:18-21) And yet, they can have peace. We can have peace. Why?
Because He has overcome the world.
He is the Savior who bore the weight of sin and shame. He died and yet He now lives again. His heel was bruised, but He crushed the serpent’s head. He reversed the curse. He rose from the dead and snatched victory from death and blunted the sting of sin. He established His Church. He ascended to heaven and now is at the right hand of the Father interceding for His Bride. He will return in glory. His rule and reign will have no end.
Our Jesus has overcome. He wins.
And it just keeps getting better. You see, because He wins, all those who believe in Him also win.
There are two passages that drive home this thought. The first is 1 John 5:1-5. I would encourage you to stop reading this and go read that. In that passage you will find great hope and promise for all those who believe that Jesus is the Christ!
Even with all of that being said we can still struggle and have doubts. Life still can be scary. This particular season can and does feel like we are standing upon the edge of a knife. It feels like there are so many unknowns. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. We don’t know what our country will look like in the coming weeks or months. Increasingly, it feels like we don’t know what or who to believe. The chaos can feel overwhelming and the darkness can feel like it is creeping in.
But, Christian, take heart!
There are things we do know and can do. We may not know what tomorrow brings but we do know who holds tomorrow in His hands. We don’t know what the future of our country will be but we can exercise our freedom to vote. Then, after we vote, we can sit down and rest in the One who appoints nations to rise and fall. We may not know what reports to believe, but we do know who is the absolute and ultimate source of truth. We may not have all the answers for the problems of the day, but we can and must pray for wisdom and discernment from the Lord.
Who’s gonna win? I don’t know. But I do know who already has won. I do know the One who’s victory is secure. The celebration and culmination of that victory will be unlike anything this world has ever known.
I will leave you with some sweet reminders from Revelation chapter 22…
No longer will there be anything accursed. Night will be no more. The Lord God Himself will be our light!
Maranatha. Come Lord Jesus.
FaithInk 