May 2, 2013
Daniel Daring Daniel's
previous reflections
Do
not be afraid to face the future
Sixth Sunday of Easter:
Acts 15:1-2, 22-29; Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23; John 14:23-29
All
was lost, that's what he thought. John’s ministry ended up in a proverbial
‘crash.’ Diagnosed with the possibility of developing cancer, he had to say
‘goodbye’ to his mission, his flock, friends, and all he loved and lived
for. The worst, however, came after coming back to his country. Anxiety attacks,
fears, feeling of loneliness and no direction in life brought a sense of
hopelessness. “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you
hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day
have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and
answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death” (Psalm
13:1-3) – was his prayer.
Preparing
for His physical absence
The life with Jesus was fantastic. As part of His group and participating in His ministry, the disciples saw victory after victory and miracle after miracle. Suddenly, however, Jesus began to speak about leaving them. The gloomy prospect of life without Jesus – without His physical presence by their side – took all the courage from their hearts. How were they going to live without their beloved Master and friend? Why did He have to go away? When in the mid-course of Jesus’ ministry many of His disciples were abandoning Him, Jesus asked the Twelve whether they also wanted to leave. Peter stood up and said: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). Now, the One who had the words of everlasting life was leaving them and they were told that they could not follow Him – “where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later” (John 13:36), and they were supposed to be happy: “If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father” (John 14:28).
There is something amazing about faith. God always expects us to look up to Him, not to the circumstances of our lives. Yet, we are so timid and overwhelmed by the unexpected twists of life that we often end up depressed, fearful and hopeless. Foreseeing that kind of outcome, Jesus decided to prepare His flock for His sudden departure from this world to the Father. He asked His followers to look beyond His tragic death on the cross to the promise of His resurrection: “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days” (John 2:19); “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again” (John 10:17); He also requested the disciples to move beyond His physical absence and eagerly await the Paraclete: “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26); “It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). Jesus was doing all He could to prepare His followers for the tragic events of ‘Good Friday’ that would bring end to His physical presence among them. He could not spare them those tragic moments; He could only hope that their faith, resting on these two promises - His resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit, would triumph over the realization that soon death would claim His life.
I belong to those people who worry a lot, who always expect the future is going to be worse than the present. I look at the events of life, trying to foresee and prepare myself for disappointments, failures and even unexpected tragedies. I seldom have peace that would keep me calm and hopeful in trails and difficulties. For sure, I would not be able to sleep soundly like Peter, knowing that the following morning I would be brought to trial and executed (Acts 12:6). So, I know how annoying it can be when someone tells you, ‘not to worry,’ when all hope is gone and life seems to come to an end. And yet, there is no single statement in the Bible repeated so often than this: ‘Do not be afraid.’
70 years after a total destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the Jewish population to Babylon (587 BC), God spoke these counseling words to His people: “Do not fear, for I am with you; . . . Do not fear; I will help you” (Isaiah 41:10.13). They could not see Him, but they felt His mighty presence and it was sufficient for the exiles to believe that with God a new future was possible: they returned home and rebuilt Jerusalem and the temple. Jesus spoke the same message to His disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). Knowing, however, that mere words could not effect any change in their lives, He promised them His peace: “Peace I leave with you: my peace I give you” (John 14:27). Jesus’ peace is the fulfillment of God’s promise about a new and everlasting covenant: God’s presence was going to be with them for ever. Jesus’ peace would guard them against all fears and worries; it would give them a clear indication that although physically absent, Jesus was constantly present in their midst.
What a beautiful gift for all of us who are so weary with worries, anxieties, and fears. We can experience this promise by realizing the constant theme of the biblical message: trust in God leads to peace of heart and mind in the midst of any challenges life may bring. “Thou wilt keep in prefect peace him whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee,” (Isaiah 26:3, KJV). Jesus’ gift of peace is the sign of His love for us. It is that kind of peace that surpasses all understanding and guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).
John opened his bible and read: “I called on your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: ‘Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.’ You came near when I called you, and you said, ‘Do not fear.’ ” (Lamentations 3:55-57). The words pierced his heart. The fear was gone; peace began to reign. And with that experience a sudden realization dawned on him that God was not yet finished with him. God is never finished with us. Even if the circumstances of life try to tell us that all is over and we never rise from our mistakes, failures, or tragedies, God’s message is always the same: trust; have peace; do not be afraid. As long as our lives continue, things can take a turn for the better if we rely on God’s promises.
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