Turbulence is the number one concern of anxious flyers. So much about it seems dangerous, but Patrick Smith, a commercial airline pilot who flies Boeing 757’s and 767’s, assures flyers that turbulence seems a lot worse than it actually is. Smith writes:
“For all intents and purposes, a plane cannot be flipped upside-down, thrown into a tailspin, or otherwise flung from the sky by even the mightiest gust or air pocket. Conditions might be annoying and uncomfortable, but the plane is not going to crash. Turbulence is an aggravating nuisance for everybody, including the crew, but it's also, for lack of a better term, normal. From a pilot's perspective, it is ordinarily seen as a convenience issue, not a safety issue. When a flight changes altitude in search of smoother conditions, this is by and large in the interest of comfort.
“The pilots aren't worried about the wings falling off; they're trying to keep their customers relaxed and everybody's coffee where it belongs… In the worst of it, you probably imagine the pilots in a sweaty lather: the captain barking orders, hands tight on the wheel as the ship lists from one side to another. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“Actually,” Smith concludes, “while the passengers are fretting about the turbulence, the pilots are having a casual conversation about their morning orange juice.” (Patrick Smith, “A pilot explains what it really means when there's turbulence during a flight,” Business Insider, 8-9-17; www.PreachingToday.com)
Our world is going through a lot of turbulence these days, and people are afraid that the wings are going to fall off their lives. Christian people know that their Pilot, Jesus Christ, is in control. They know that the current coronavirus pandemic hasn’t surprised Him, but they still worry sometimes.
What would Jesus your Pilot say to you as you face the turbulence in your life? I think He would say the same thing He said to His original 12 disciples during His last supper with them. They had come to Jerusalem expecting to help Jesus set up His kingdom. Instead, they find out that He’s going to die, that one of them will betray Him, and that another one will deny Him.
Talk about turbulence! One minute they’re arguing about who’s going to get the top spots in Christ’s Kingdom. And the next minute, they’re facing the loss of their Champion and friend. They see their dreams spiraling down towards a crash landing, and they’re confused and afraid. If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to John 14, John 14, where we have Jesus’ words to His confused and terrified disciples and to you and me in these turbulent times.
John 14:1 Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. (ESV)
“Let not your hearts be troubled,” He says here and towards the end of the chapter in verse 27. “Let not your hearts be troubled” – It’s a charge, which bookends Jesus’ words in this chapter and is the main thrust of His message to His troubled disciples. “Let not your hearts be troubled” – “But how?” some of you ask. How can I calm my troubled heart? Well, let’s read on and find out.
John 14:1-6 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 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. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (ESV)
Now, in order to understand this passage, you need to know a little bit about the Jewish marriage customs in Jesus’ day. When a young man wanted to get married, he would go to the home of his beloved and negotiate a bridal price with her father. Once that price was agreed upon, the young couple was betrothed. In other words, they were legally married, but not actually so. That is, they were not allowed to live together yet. So the young man went back to his father’s house in order to prepare a place for the two of them to live. It took him about a year; but at the end of that year, when his father said the place was properly prepared, he would come back for his bride. There would be a big procession to her house, where she would join him to return with her husband to his father’s house. There, they would consummate their marriage and live together for the rest of their lives.
That’s the picture Jesus paints for His troubled disciples. He tells them, I’m going to my Father’s house to prepare a place for you. And when that place is ready, I’m coming back to get you. I’m coming so we can be together forever! So don’t focus on your current troubles. Instead...
LOOK AHEAD TO THE PLACE JESUS IS PREPARING FOR YOU.
Look forward to being with Him forever in heaven. Look onward to where all this trouble is ultimately leading.
Ever since he was a kid, Bob Goff had a dream to sail across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii. So, several years ago, Bob and four of his buddies entered the Transpac Race, a semi-annual sailboat race from Los Angeles to Hawaii. With limited sailing skills, Bob and his friends loaded their 35-foot sailboat with canned chili and bottled water and set sail for Hawaii. But for Bob and his friends, the most moving part of the journey was the arrival at the finishing line. Bob writes:
“There's a tradition in the Transpac Race no matter when you finish the race, even if it's two in the morning. When you pull into the Ala Moana Marina in Oahu, there's a guy who announces the name of the boat and every crew member who made the trip… It's the same guy, and he's been announcing each boat's arrival at the end of every Transpac Race for decades.”
Bob says, “Just when we came to the end of our supplies, we sailed across the finish line just off Diamond Head and into the marina. It was a few hours before dawn. It had been sixteen days since we set out from Los Angeles in our little boat knowing very little about navigation. Suddenly, the silence was broken by a booming voice over a loudspeaker announcing the name of our tiny boat… Then he started announcing the names of our ragtag crew like he was introducing heads of state. One by one he announced all of our names with obvious pride in his voice, and it became a really emotional moment for each of us onboard.”
Bob says, “When he came to my name, he didn't talk about how few navigation skills I had or the zigzag course I'd led us in to get there. He didn't tell everyone I didn't even know which way north was or about all my other mess-ups. Instead, he just welcomed me in from the adventure like a proud father would.
“When he was done, there was a pause and then in a sincere voice his last words to the entire crew were these: ‘Friends, it's been a long trip. Welcome home.’” Because of the way he said it, they all welled up and fought back tears. Bob says, “I wiped my eyes as I reflected in that moment about all the uncertainty that had come with the journey, all the sloppy sailing and how little I knew. But none of that mattered now because we had completed the race.” (Bob Goff, “It's the Journey that Makes Coming Home Sweet,” Donald Miller blog, 3-19-12; www.PreachingToday.com)
Heaven is going to be a lot like that, but only for those who believe in Jesus (vs.1). He is the only way to the Father’s House, so put your trust in Him. Depend on Christ to save you from your sin and take you to heaven when you die, or when He comes again.
Then, after you cross the finish line of your life, you can be sure Jesus will say to you, “Friend, it's been a long trip. Welcome home.” Just think of it! The place He has prepared for you will be more beautiful than any Hawaiian marina; and when you get there, it will make the whole trip worth it, turbulence and all.
So don’t lose sight of where you’re going! It’s the first part of Jesus’ cure for the troubled heart. Look ahead to the place Jesus is preparing for you. Then second...
LOOK UP IN PRAYER.
Direct your attention to your Heavenly Father, and ask Him for the strength to do His will. Ask Him for the power to do great things in troubled times. Ask Him for the ability to do even greater things than Jesus did. That’s what Jesus told His troubled disciples to do.
John 14:7-9 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (ESV)
I’m just like My Father in every way.
John 14:10-14 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. (ESV)
Prayer is the key here, but you must pray in faith. Come to the Father believing in Jesus.
In verse 10, Jesus asked, “Do you believe...?” In verse 11 Jesus says, “Believe me... or believe on account of [my] works. And in verse 12, Jesus says, “Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do...” Four times in three verses, Jesus encourages His troubled disciples to believe in Him, with the result that they will do greater works than He did!
Well, what works did Jesus do? John 6:38-40 says He came to do the will of His Father. He came to give eternal life to all who believe in Him.
Tell me. How may followers did Jesus have when He ascended into heaven? How many believers were there at that time? Acts 1:15 says there were 120. In other words, after three and a half years of ministry, Jesus had 120 followers, 120 people who believed in Him. That’s all!
Guess what happens in Acts 2. Peter preaches and 3,000 people come to faith in Christ. In one day, Peter sees more people find eternal life than Jesus did in his entire lifetime. That’s the greater works that Jesus is talking about. He wants to use you to bring people to faith in Himself, in fact, more people than He ever did Himself!
Is your heart troubled these days? Are you discouraged? Then get on your knees, and ask God to use you to bring someone to faith in Christ. Ask God to use you to bring eternal life to your family, friends and neighbors who don’t know Christ yet. Ask God to use you in a greater way than He used even His only Son when He was on this earth.
When I feel discouraged, that’s what I do. I think about those who have trusted Christ through my witness, and it makes all the trouble worth it!
Fred Penny grew up in Newfoundland, Canada. In 1972, his seventh grade French class decided to take a special weekend trip to the French Islands just off the southern coast of Newfoundland. The entire weekend was going to cost each student $50—a large sum of money, Fred thought. He really wanted to experience French culture, but he assumed his parents couldn't afford it, so rather than put my parents in the awkward position of saying no, he decided not to ask.
Then a couple of years later when his sister arrived home from school and announced that her class was taking a 14-day Mediterranean cruise. This trip was not going to cost $50, but $1,000. Then she blurted out, “Mom, can I go?” What audacity!
Much to Fred’s surprise, his mom and dad declared, “Well, we don't quite know where we'll find the money, but we will find it. Of course, you can go on the Mediterranean cruise!” (Fred Penny, Port Perry, Ontario; www.PreachingToday.com)
Please, don’t limit God when you come to Him in prayer. You might be surprised at what God is willing to do if you just ask Him. Especially, during these turbulent times, ask God to give you unique opportunities to invite people to trust Jesus with their lives, and trust Him for the “greater works” Jesus talked about here in John 14. Pray in Faith.
Then pray in Jesus’ name. Pray with His authority, with His signature on the check.
John 14:13-14 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. (ESV)
Now, put this in its context. Jesus is NOT saying if you ask for a new Cadillac in His name, He will give it to you, no! He is saying, if you ask for new Christians, new followers of Christ, He will give them to you.
In his book Identity Matters, Terry Wardle tells a story from his childhood. Terry had a hand-me-down, fixed-up, big, blue girl's Schwinn bike. One day his mom finally let him venture outside his own neighborhood.
He was now on his own to experience a grand adventure, and he felt like a somebody, even on a big, blue, girl's Schwinn bike with saddlebags even! He crossed the railroad tracks and then rumbled over a small creek on a single-lane bridge. On the other side of the bridge were four teenage boys, which Terry intended to pass on by.
They had other things in mind. One of the boys grabbed his handlebars and spun the bike to an abrupt stop. “Hey, where do you think you're goin'?” he snarled, as another boy chimed in, “Yeah, kid, where ya goin'?” Instantly Terry knew they intended to beat him up. He was petrified. He couldn't fight or break free to run, so he stood there frozen. Suddenly one of the bullies asked, “What's your name?”
Terry answered him in a high-pitched preadolescent, quivering voice, “Terry Wardle.”
The three remaining teenagers got a bit silent and looked at one another nervously. “Are you related to Tom Wardle?” Tom was a much older cousin, who happened to play defensive end on the high school football team. But Terry lied and told them Tom was his brother. They immediately backed off. One of the boys straightened out Terry’s shirt, and started saying, “Hey, we were just funning you. No harm. You're a great kid, and… if anyone ever gives you any trouble, you tell us and we'll take care of you.” (Terry Wardle, Identity Matters, Leafwood Publishers, 2017; www.PreachingToday.com)
You see, Terry was powerless in his own name; but in the name of an older, stronger cousin, he had all the power, all the authority he needed.
In the same way, don’t come to the Father based on our own name or character. Come in the name of Jesus Christ. Come with His authority, and dare to ask God for the “greater works” Jesus talked about here in John 14.
Pray in faith and pray in Jesus’ name. It’s Jesus’ cure for the troubled heart! 1st, look ahead to the place Jesus is preparing for you. 2nd, look up in prayer to your Heavenly Father. And 3rd...
LOOK WITHIN AT YOUR PARTNER.
Direct your attention to the indwelling Holy Spirit. Depend on the Helper God gives to every believer in Jesus.
John 14:15-18 If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (ESV)
Jesus will not leave you destitute like an orphan. He will come to you in the form of His Holy Spirit, whom He describes as “another Helper,” that is, another just like Jesus!
You see, in verse 9, we discovered that Jesus is just like His Father in every way. Here, in verse 16, we discover that the Holy Spirit is just like Jesus in every way.
Now, it must have been wonderful to be WITH Jesus as His first followers were. Can you imagine walking with Him, talking with Him, sharing meals together and an inside joke or two. It must have been wonderful to be WITH Jesus when He walked this earth. But Jesus promised an even closer relationship with His followers after He left this earth. He promised that the Holy Spirit who was WITH them would dwell IN them (vs.17).
And that’s exactly what happened! Soon after Jesus ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit descended and came to live in every believer! In fact, the Holy Spirit dwells in every believer today (Romans 8:9).
So when your heart is troubled, look within to the Holy Spirit for help. After all, Jesus calls Him “the Helper” (vs.16), the Paraclete in the original language, i.e., the one called alongside to help.
The word is actually a warrior’s term. In his book, Healing the Masculine Soul, Gordon Dalbey says that “Greek soldiers went into battle in pairs, so when the enemy attacked, they could draw together back-to-back, covering each other's blind side. One's battle partner was the paraclete.”
In the same way, our Lord does not send us to fight the good fight alone. The Holy Spirit is our battle partner who covers our blind side and fights for our well-being. (Tom Tripp, Colusa, California, Leadership, Vol. 15, no. 2)
Are you battle weary these days? Remember, you have a Paraclete, a Battle Partner who’s fighting for you, the Holy Spirit Himself, who dwells within.
More than 37,000 runners competed in the 2012 London Marathon. Wilson Kipsang, from Kenya, won the race in an impressive 2:04:44. Simone Clarke took more than three times as long, but her finish may be more impressive.
Simone is a 39-year-old epileptic. Simone suffers about four seizures a day and needed someone willing to train and run with her. Her friend, Tally Hall, agreed to run the marathon with her and help her if she had a seizure while running. But none of their training runs prepared them for what was to come.
On the beautiful spring morning of the London Marathon, Simone and Tally joined the tens of thousands at the starting point and took off as the gun sounded. For the first seven miles, everything went well.
It was at mile eight that pain from an ongoing stomach problem triggered Simone's first seizure. Tally caught Simone and got her safely to the ground. Simone was completely unconscious for 30 seconds before Tally could rouse her.
And then, remarkably, Simone woke, got up, and started running again.
Over the next 18 miles, Simone had 19 more seizures, each time collapsing and losing consciousness for 30 seconds or more. Each time, Tally caught her, eased her to the ground, and protected her until she regained consciousness. And each time, Tally helped Simone up, and they continued.
“By the time we got to 15 miles,” Simone said afterward, “I was in tears because I was so annoyed, we had lost the pace. But by that stage I had already had lots of (seizures), and I was still standing, so I thought, stuff it, I'm just going to finish it.”
Simone and Tally crossed the finish line in 6½ hours. Considering the day, it was a time even the Kenyans would be proud of. (Aidan Radnedge, “Epileptic runner Simone Clarke: I had 20 fits but I still finished the marathon,” Metro UK, 4-25-12; www.PreachingToday.com)
Simone was Tally’s paraclete, the one called along side to help. In the same way, the Holy Spirit is YOUR Paraclete. Only, instead of just being with you, He dwells within you to catch you when you fall, protect you and help you get up again. So in these days of turbulence, don’t go through life on your own. Instead, depend on God’s Holy Spirit dwelling within.
It’s Jesus’ cure for the troubled heart! 1st, look ahead to the place Jesus is preparing for you. 2nd, look up in prayer to your Heavenly Father. And 3rd, look within at your Partner, the Holy Spirit. Look to the Triune God: God the Father; God the Son; and God the Holy Spirit.
For you see, “Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God” (Oswald Sanders)
