Troubled Hearts 

As our Lord looked at the disciples, He knew what was going on in their minds and hearts, how disturbed and upset they were, and what was causing their turmoil. He knew the remedy for their anxieties as well. Perhaps there are many of us who are suffering from the same affliction as these disciples: troubled hearts, fearful hearts, upset, disturbed, and agitated hearts because of our circumstances. Our Lord knew that these men were afraid of what was coming. They were afraid of death; afraid that they, with Him, were going to be executed by the Jews. They knew of the opposition that had developed against them in Jerusalem. They knew they were in danger, and so their hearts were deeply troubled as they gathered here with Him. 

But more than that physical danger to themselves, they were aware of Jesus' words about leaving them. This had struck terror into their hearts. They were afraid that even though they might survive, they would have to go on living without Him, and that was unbearable to them. They could bear to die with Him; they could not bear to live or die without Him. So as He gathers with them, He says these words: Do not let your hearts be troubled. 

Do not let… 

Once when I was experiencing a period of this kind of heart trouble myself, I thought of these words and they came home to me with tremendously new significance. I saw something in that simple phrase, Do not let your hearts be troubled, that I had never seen before. What impressed me were the words, Do not let. They mean that these disciples could do something about their problem. They held in their own hands the key to their release from heart trouble. It was possible for them either to let it happen or not to let it happen. Our Lord is saying this to all of us. There is a way out of heart difficulty—this distress and fear concerning both death and life—and our Lord goes on to give the answer to them. 

The Secret 

The remedy for heart trouble is contained in the two phrases that follow: Trust in God; trust also in me. Trust in God who is still in control, who knows what He is doing, who is capable of exercising infinite wisdom, infinite power, and infinite love. “And trust also in me”, Jesus said, who is the means by which all that wisdom and resource and power of God is made available to you. That is the secret.