Jesus, the Way to the Father (1)

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me

John 14:1

I hope you have had an interesting journey so far in our attempt to reveal Jesus. Yesterday, we concluded by exploring how Jesus reveals Himself to us as the Good Shepherd. Today, we want to see how He introduces Himself as the Way to the Father.

Toward the end of chapter 13, Jesus began to talk about His betrayal and His departure. Then Peter asked Him where He was going. At that moment, Jesus told Peter about his upcoming denial and then moved on in chapter 14 to help the disciples understand a few things. He begins by saying in verse 1, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” Why does Jesus emphasize belief now? This is because the disciples were deeply troubled by all that Jesus had said—betrayal, departure, denial, and so on. This was enough to raise doubts and troubled hearts. But Jesus’s response to them is not to let their hearts be troubled. And how exactly should they do that? By believing in Him. Jesus isn’t saying that they should forget about what troubles them, nor is He saying that they should ignore their concerns. Instead, He is saying that the antidote to a troubled heart is believing.

As I write this devotion, I was faced with unexpected news from work. I expected a promotion last year but didn’t get it, and this year as well. I just found out that my KPI score was not enough to be considered for promotion after the final review. Immediately, I became troubled and angry because I shouldn’t still be at this level after all this time. This troubled me so much that I couldn’t work and found it hard to pray. So, I decided to pick up my Bible and write the devotion as I had planned for the day. Then I realized that the passage I planned to write on was actually God addressing me personally because my heart was troubled. The reason I was unable to pray was because I was troubled, but the only reason I now feel compelled to pray is because He has shown me through His Word that the only antidote to a troubled heart is to believe in God. It is that faith in God that brings me to the place of prayer. This is what brings us to the Father—our faith in Jesus. It is because I believe in Jesus that I can boldly approach the throne of God, knowing that He hears me.

As you read this today, what is that thing or situation that troubles your heart? Are there people who bring trouble to your heart when you think of them? Jesus is saying to you today, “Believe in God.” Therefore, in every one of those situations, put your faith in God. And the proof that your faith is truly in Him is that you bring it all to Him in the place of prayer. You cannot come to the Father without first putting your faith in Jesus, knowing that He is concerned about what happens to you and cares enough to do something about it. So, speak to yourself today, saying, “I choose to believe in God, despite whatever the news or situation may be. In the good and the bad, I believe in Jesus.”

PRAYER