John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 NIV
Devotional
When I think about victory, I would like to believe that means deliverance from trouble. I imagine a life where I no longer have to struggle—where the victory has already been won and the battle is over. Jesus never gave such false expectations. He was clear that the struggle will go on as long as we are in this world. He was very honest that we will have trouble. He was also very clear that he has already overcome the source of the trouble. We walk in victory. Sometimes that means that we enjoy the results of what he accomplished; sometimes that means we walk in faith that the final deliverance is sure. In either situation, we have a lifeline of connection to our savior. He is constantly waiting to commune with us, to hear our prayers and speak with us. When Jesus was on earth, he regularly relied on prayer. Many passages show Jesus withdrawing from other people to be alone with God (Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16; Mark 6:46; Luke 6:12; Matthew 14:23). What did he find during those times? Was prayer what he needed to continue walking in victory? Did he gain strength to continue living a perfect life? Was it intimacy with God that he was craving? Was it healing from the grief of being rejected and watching his creation slowly decay? The Bible does not say, but my experience leads me to believe that he needed and received all these things from his Father’s presence. Either way, I know that if God in the flesh needed intimacy with his heavenly Father, how much more do we as weak humans need frequent times of intimacy with God?
Read the Context
John 16
“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, 5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
16 Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”
17 At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”
19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? 20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
25 “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
29 Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”
31 “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. 32 “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Make it Personal
Practical Application
Make a plan to be intentional about prayer over the next seven days. Make sure your plan fits your realistic schedule so you will be able to achieve it (it is better to pray for a short time each day than to plan to pray for a long time and then skip because you know you don’t have enough time). Try to include in your plan:
Talk to God
When I think about victory, I would like to believe that means deliverance from trouble. I imagine a life where I no longer have to struggle—where the victory has already been won and the battle is over. Jesus never gave such false expectations. He was clear that the struggle will go on as long as we are in this world. He was very honest that we will have trouble. He was also very clear that he has already overcome the source of the trouble. We walk in victory. Sometimes that means that we enjoy the results of what he accomplished; sometimes that means we walk in faith that the final deliverance is sure. In either situation, we have a lifeline of connection to our savior. He is constantly waiting to commune with us, to hear our prayers and speak with us. When Jesus was on earth, he regularly relied on prayer. Many passages show Jesus withdrawing from other people to be alone with God (Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16; Mark 6:46; Luke 6:12; Matthew 14:23). What did he find during those times? Was prayer what he needed to continue walking in victory? Did he gain strength to continue living a perfect life? Was it intimacy with God that he was craving? Was it healing from the grief of being rejected and watching his creation slowly decay? The Bible does not say, but my experience leads me to believe that he needed and received all these things from his Father’s presence. Either way, I know that if God in the flesh needed intimacy with his heavenly Father, how much more do we as weak humans need frequent times of intimacy with God?
Read the Context
John 16
“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, 5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
16 Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”
17 At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”
19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? 20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
25 “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
29 Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”
31 “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. 32 “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Make it Personal
- Do I rely on times of intimacy with God, or do I tend to rush through my day without making it a priority?
- When I pray, do I spend all my time talking, or do I also take time to listen?
- Is my prayer time rushed? Do I try to multitask while I’m “praying”?
Practical Application
Make a plan to be intentional about prayer over the next seven days. Make sure your plan fits your realistic schedule so you will be able to achieve it (it is better to pray for a short time each day than to plan to pray for a long time and then skip because you know you don’t have enough time). Try to include in your plan:
- When you will pray each day (it doesn’t have to be the same time every day, though some find this helpful)
- How long you will pray (be realistic)
- Where you will go to pray so you will have the fewest possible distractions (remember that the “stuff” around you can also be a distraction)
- Plan a little time for asking, a little time for thanking/praising God, some time for telling him how you feel, and some time for listening in silence for anything he might want to say to you
Talk to God
- What part of God’s character do I want to praise him for?
- What do I want to thank God for?
- Do I have any unconfessed sin?
- What do I need God’s help with?
- What questions do I have?
- Do I need direction? Do I know how God wants me to serve him today?
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