Gleanings From Grace

In John chapter fourteen we find Jesus telling the disciples to rest, and not be troubled about the things in life we have no control over, prepare yourself before the storm hits your life. ILL. A farmer needed a hired man. After trying several workers, who all failed to meet his standards, the farmer began to feel desperate. Then another worker applied for the job. The farmer asked him, “What qualifies you for this job?” The man answered, “I can sleep at night.” That didn’t sound too promising, but since he was desperate, the farmer hired the newcomer.
That night there was a terrific thunderstorm. The farmer awoke, ran to the hired man’s room and tried to arouse him. He could not. Muttering to himself something like, “I’ll take care of him in the morning,” the farmer went outside into the night and the driving rain. He found the barn doors securely closed, the hay stack well covered and the tractor put away in the shed. There was nothing he could do but return to the house and go back to bed. Then he understood why his new hired man had said, “I can sleep at night.” He had taken care of everything and was prepared for the storm. Isn’t it comforting to know that when we have prepared ourselves for Jesus’ coming by faithfully doing the things the Lord has made clear to us, He will take care of those things beyond our control?
Jesus said to us, “Let not your heart be troubled.” The word “troubled” means “agitated, shaken, stressed out, worried, or restless.” God doesn’t want us to be a bunch of stressed-out, worry warts. The Greek word for troubled, tarasso {tar-as’-so}, was used to describe the stirring up of the mind, the clouding of a pool of water, the throwing of an army into disorder, and a government that was plagued by anarchy and chaos. The Lord doesn’t want our lives to be what is described above. This statement of the Lord in verse one reveals that we are responsible for our heart’s condition.
Proverbs 3:1-5-… My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: [2] For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. [3] Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: [4] So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. [5] Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Proverbs 4:23-Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.