Luke 24:36-38 KJV
36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
In the above scripture, Jesus was talking directly to His disciples.
BUT, in fact, He is also speaking directly to each of us,
When we are afraid, frightened, discouraged or facing a valley in our life, Jesus is addressing these words to us individually.
He is saying to us directly “Why are ye troubled?”
And we need to learn to read the words of Jesus as speaking to us.
Not just to the disciples, or listeners, or the body of believers, but to us directly.
God Cares for His Children
Our Lord cares for all things, especially those who believe and accept Him as their Lord and Savior.
And thus, He speaks directly to us in God's Word.
In fact, when we accept Christ as Lord and Savior, we are immediately indwelt by the Holy Spirit who is our comforter and guide.
We are therefore NEVER alone. God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit are with us at all times.
Peter tells us that believers in Christ are the chosen generation. That is worth pondering for a few minutes.
We are God’s people, we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation and a peculiar people.
Think of this...we are the treasure of our Heavenly Father.
And as such, we know that God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit and through His Word.
1 Peter 2:9 KJV
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;
All Things Work Together for Our Good—Even the Bad Things
Romans 8:28 KJV
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
The apostle Paul tells us that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose.”
Coming from the apostle Paul, these are powerful, God inspired, words.
His life was not a life of comfort and ease, with no difficulties.
No, he faced trials, tribulation, beatings and imprisonment. He was finally killed because of his unwavering belief in Christ and his dedication to spreading the Gospel of Jesus.
Yet, because of his faith, trust and knowledge of God, he can say that ALL things work together for our good. Praise God.
And just as Paul faced trials and difficulties in his life, we believers will also face them. From losing a job, to losing a child, to sickness and many other possible valleys, God will be with us and helping us along the way.
And yes, it is appointed to man once to die a physical death, but we can be assured that when that time comes, God will be with us, comforting us on that journey as well. As the old hymn says “We won’t have to cross Jordan alone”, for God will never leave us nor forsake us.
Never forget, that during all of your trials, Jesus is speaking to you.
LISTEN, As Jesus Speaks to You
As believers, we are the “apple of His eye.” We are His treasure.
We are His vineyard as Christ taught so many times, over which He watches day and night.
And He is speaking to us!
Inspired by a lesson from the great Charles Spurgeon, let me repeat his wonderful words of hope to believers.
"We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to his purpose." Let the fact that, while he is the Saviour of all men, he is specially the Saviour of them that believe, cheer and comfort you. You are his peculiar care; his regal treasure which he guards as the apple of his eye; his vineyard over which he watches day and night.
The very hairs of your head are all numbered." Let the thought of his special love to you be a spiritual pain-killer, a dear quietus to your woe: "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." God says that as much to you as to any saint of old. "Fear not, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." We lose much consolation by the habit of reading his promises for the whole church, instead of taking them directly home to ourselves.
Believer, grasp the divine word with a personal appropriating faith. Think that you hear Jesus say I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not. Think that you see him walking on the waters of thy trouble, for He is there and He is saying fear not it is I and be not afraid.”
-Charles Spurgeon
Yes, as you read those encouraging words of Jesus in red letters, whether said to one of the disciples or directed at the entire body of believers, read them as being said directly to you.
For they are!!
Jesus is speaking to each of us directly when He says. “Let not your heart be troubled.”
Let the words of Jesus, the disciples, and God speak directly to you and your heart and always read them with this in mind.
Matthew 14:26-27 KJV
26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
When we are navigating the troubled waters of life, we have the assurance that Jesus is saying to each of us individually, “be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid.”
Again, let us praise God and be so thankful that He speaks directly to us!
RVH