Read John 16:33 NLT
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Sometimes I find myself stuck in the middle sentence of this verse…”Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.” As I reflect on the Christmas story and Mary’s experiences, I can’t help but think that she might have had some similar thoughts run through her head. It must have been confusing and scary for her. But her response and the response I might tend to have are very different. I think of “trials and sorrows” and I either hunker down and wait out the storm or I put my head down and push on by force. If I am honest, most of the time I feel like I am just stuck in the middle of the muck, trudging through, trying to get to the other side of life or preparing for the next difficult thing. But Mary’s response was complete trust in God to carry her through. She surrendered to God’s plan trusting that He would work it out even if she couldn’t see how.
There is a lot more packed into our scripture for today than just “trials and sorrow” and if we focus on the middle part of the verse, we completely miss out on what Mary had, and what we have, to rely on. We miss out on His power and His promise that God has for us on both sides of the difficulties we face. God promises us that we can experience peace through Him before He even mentions the struggles we will encounter. He also promises that, on the backside of those difficulties, we will see an ultimate display of His power as He overcomes the world.
I believe God wants us to live a life focused on His power and His promises. Like Mary did, set your sights on the peace and power of God in your life.