Anticipating With Gladness
Good morning, Hopewell!
Our Prayer Moment this morning is entitled “Anticipate with Gladness” and is based on John 14:1 which says “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in Me.”
“Our minds are ill-equipped to handle the thoughts of eternity. Consequently, our Lord takes the posture of a parent. Trust me…Don’t be troubled by the return of Christ. Don’t be anxious about things you cannot comprehend… For the Christian, the return of Christ is not a riddle to be solved or a code to be broken, but rather a day to be anticipated.” (Lucado, When Christ Comes)
During their final meal together, Jesus told the disciples that He was going to be betrayed. He was going to die. He was going to leave them. Jesus said in John 13:36, “Where I am going, you cannot follow, but you will follow later.” This all caused distress and anxiety for the disciples. How could this happen? WHY would this happen?
In chapter 14, though, Jesus gave encouragement. Yes, He was leaving, but He was going ahead of them to heaven. He was going ahead of them to prepare a place for them. In John 14:3, Jesus stated, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.”
Just like the disciples, we are often troubled. We can trust, though, that what He says is true. One day He will return for us, and we will be with Him in heaven. Then, there will be no more troubles - no sickness, no tears, no stressful schedules, no arguments, no pain. There are those who fear His return, but as Christians, we can anticipate with gladness the day of His return. What a day that will be!
Let’s pray together.
Heavenly Father, we come before you today with thankfulness that we can trust You. We know from Your Word that what You say will always be true. We thank You that we can trust You with our worries and fears, the things that stress us out, and also the good things that You give us each day. Father, we thank You for Your Son who You sent as our Savior, and we look forward to the day when He will return. Please help us to keep our eyes on Jesus as we go through each day, remembering that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In Jesus’ holy name we pray - Amen.
Our Prayer Moment this morning is entitled “Anticipate with Gladness” and is based on John 14:1 which says “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in Me.”
“Our minds are ill-equipped to handle the thoughts of eternity. Consequently, our Lord takes the posture of a parent. Trust me…Don’t be troubled by the return of Christ. Don’t be anxious about things you cannot comprehend… For the Christian, the return of Christ is not a riddle to be solved or a code to be broken, but rather a day to be anticipated.” (Lucado, When Christ Comes)
During their final meal together, Jesus told the disciples that He was going to be betrayed. He was going to die. He was going to leave them. Jesus said in John 13:36, “Where I am going, you cannot follow, but you will follow later.” This all caused distress and anxiety for the disciples. How could this happen? WHY would this happen?
In chapter 14, though, Jesus gave encouragement. Yes, He was leaving, but He was going ahead of them to heaven. He was going ahead of them to prepare a place for them. In John 14:3, Jesus stated, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.”
Just like the disciples, we are often troubled. We can trust, though, that what He says is true. One day He will return for us, and we will be with Him in heaven. Then, there will be no more troubles - no sickness, no tears, no stressful schedules, no arguments, no pain. There are those who fear His return, but as Christians, we can anticipate with gladness the day of His return. What a day that will be!
Let’s pray together.
Heavenly Father, we come before you today with thankfulness that we can trust You. We know from Your Word that what You say will always be true. We thank You that we can trust You with our worries and fears, the things that stress us out, and also the good things that You give us each day. Father, we thank You for Your Son who You sent as our Savior, and we look forward to the day when He will return. Please help us to keep our eyes on Jesus as we go through each day, remembering that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In Jesus’ holy name we pray - Amen.