Guaranteed.

What guarantees do you have in life? There are the tongue and cheek guarantees of “death and taxes.” What else is a guarantee? Are you guaranteed that the Vikings will win the Super Bowl this year or even finish with a winning record?  Some of you are hoping for such a guarantee. Are you guaranteed that your retirement fund will be there when you retire? Are you guaranteed that your health will hold out for years to come?

John 16:33 outlines a frightening thought and a beautiful encouragement in the same verse: “ ‘I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world’ ” (John 16:33). We have, as Christ followers, these two guarantees. We can be assured of tribulation (or troubles) and peace. 

First, what is tribulation? The formal definition says that tribulation is a type of distress or severe annoyance, pain or emotional trauma that comes as a result of oppression or persecution. Jesus is guaranteeing that for each of his children. Ouch! It’s hard to take that as good news; well it’s not good news but it is a good warning. We are not to get too comfortable with the pleasures and routines of this life. They are fleeting. But even more sinister is the John 16:33-truth that others will fight to remove comforts and good times from our life as a means of exercising evil intent toward any that adhere to fearing God and loving Jesus.

Jesus does not want us to be blindsided when evil “hits the fan” and our lives explode. He does not want us to be stunned and taken by surprise when dictatorial power brokers start to shove and coerce and mandate abuses where we once had freedom. This is to be expected. This comes to those, who by faith, are citizens of heaven.

Such tribulation can be as simple as a sneer evoked by someone’s knowledge that we are Christians. This guaranteed stress and suffering can be as horrific as seeing loved ones dragged away and imprisoned or beaten for their faith in Jesus. We might be the literal victims of an ungodly mob, simply because we hold to the tenets of the Biblical faith. It will happen at some level and at some time (possibly many times) in our earthly existence.

But when such oppression seeks to knock us down and be in control, we have a shield that God the Father has created for his kids: Peace. The peace of God transcends all human understanding (Philippians 4:7). The peace of God protects and guards our whole being. It is an invisible shield that allows us to remain composed. Why?

We can be wholly at peace because we have a loving Father who wants the best for his children. We have a loving Father who holds his kids tight and protects them. We have a loving Father who will perfectly deal with evil (Psalm 37 - the wicked dry up like grass).

In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshech and Abednego were plunged into tribulation but the peace of God was their shield. They knew the consequences of defying king Nebuchadnezzar. They knew that the furnace was hot and capable of melting their skin instantly. AND they also knew that their God was more powerful than any persecutor or dictatorial despot. They had true fear of God which allowed them to drop their fear of man.

These three men were strong in their testimony of the true God. Their response shows that they were at peace with God. By faith, God had declared “peace” with them and they knew that anything which happened to them was a gift from their loving Heavenly Father. They said to trouble: “look at how big is my God!” May we have that same peace.

Here is their response:

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.’” (Daniel 3:16-18).

They were ready to continue living if that was God’s design. But they were also resigned to the idea of death, if that was what their God chose; they knew their God would pick the appropriate response to their faith. They knew their God and our God was faithful. They could live or die knowing that “all things would work out for good to those who love God” (Romans 8:28).

May we also rejoice in our Heavenly Father and His complete control. May we celebrate that He has revealed to us in advance, that tribulation will be a marker in our life AND that peace will be the shield, the wall of protection, that our faithful and powerful God has supplied for us to march into the flames and into our future with Him.

Peace to you, in abundance, from our Lord Jesus Christ!