Troubled Hearts Comforted

Let's jump in.

Before I start, I would love to open us up in prayer.

So Father, we give you thanks today.

Whatever baggage that we're carrying this morning, I pray that we can lay it down.

Slow, uh, slow our pace.

Let us see your word clearly today, like the summer sun.

Let your warmth shine upon our faces, warm our hearts and our affections this morning.

I pray the truths of the gospel today would uh anchor deep in the sea when the storms may be raging in our lives, that we have a sure and steady hope.

We pray these in Jesus' mighty name.

Amen.

January 2021, Emily, uh, my wife was a nurse.

She's about a day removed from working at the hospital.

She was carrying our fourth child at the time.

Um she came home, she kind of felt a little weird.

She texted our midwife, and our midwife suggested that she just take it easy, drink some juice, um, and just kind of rest for a bit.

Uh she followed her instructions, and after a few hours, uh, she still had this strange feeling.

So she gave our midwife a call back, and they she said, Hey, just uh how about you come see me?

I'll check up on you.

So she left.

I watched the kids, I didn't think much of it.

Um about an hour later, though, I received a call that they couldn't find the heartbeat on the Doppler.

That was one of those moments on you hear that, your heart kind of sinks.

Um she said she was going down to St.

Elizabeth Hospital in northern Kentucky to get further scanning.

I called her friend immediately to come uh to watch the kids.

I just grabbed the keys and I went.

And it's one of those moments, I don't know if you've ever been in a situation like this, um, where you're kind of in this flight or fight and flight mode where you blink, I'm in this car and it's a good hour drive, and then all of a sudden I'm here at this hospital, right?

And I don't know how I got there.

I don't know if I was cutting people off.

Um, but the the feeling of hopelessness, this feeling of questions, anxieties, fears, uh, were starting to just storm in my head as I was driving down here of the news uh to expect.

I got to the hospital.

Emily was already in the bed, she was waiting when uh the ultrasound tech came out, and we saw uh from the scans, we saw her hands and we saw her feet, we saw her head, uh, but there was no heart beating.

It was silent, it was nothing.

Uh just sat there trying to look, is something has to happen.

Leah was born that next day at 26 weeks as a stillbirth.

Um leaving that hospital was one of the hardest things that we had have experienced in our lives.

You know, going to a hospital, uh, looking, uh hearing the babies crying in the other rooms, uh, pushing my wife out.

Usually you expect a baby in the hands, but coming out empty-handed.

You know, going home and having the blessing of the church come around, of receiving meals, which you do usually when you get a baby, but this time every meal is reminded, why am I receiving this meal?

It's because my dot my daughter is not here with me.

Seeing the flowers, something beautiful, but only reminds us of mourning.

We sat at our grave uh a few days following, and it felt like a movie.

Just the two of us, Emily and I, it was a cold January, and it was light rain under this green tarp, just buried up here by Mason Moro, uh Mason Montgomery Road.

We sat next to one another, mourning.

Our hearts were troubled.

We felt at a loss.

We didn't really know what was next.

What it what hope do we have when we feel hopeless?

This text this morning, I hope, strengthens our souls.

You see, uh, this is a continuation from the dialogue from the previous chapter where Jesus is talking to Peter.

Jesus himself is explaining that his time is drawing near, knowing he is going to experience the bitter agony of the cross.

Peter in chapter 13 says, Lord, where are you going?

Why can't I not follow you?

And Jesus responds, You cannot go where I'm going.

Not only that, you're actually gonna deny me three times.

That's pretty harsh words.

So the disciples are sitting here with troubled hearts, knowing that the this kingdom that they were looking forward to, this earthly, this, that, the, the, the, this oppression that they were experiencing under Roman rule, the death of their friend is is close, that they're actually gonna deny him and betray him, and that they're gonna be left alone and cannot go with him.

So these disciples have troubled hearts.

But I believe this text this morning uh that we'll see is that Jesus comforts our troubled hearts.

Jesus comforts our troubled hearts.

And I think we're gonna work through three series of questions that the disciples ask, and Jesus responds to each of these three questions with three comforts.

So let's look at our text this morning.

This first question that's going to be asked, Peter asking 13, where are you going?

And Jesus responds with his first comfort that heaven is for sure for the disciples of Christ.

Let's look at verses one through three.

Let not your hearts be troubled.

Believe in God, believe also in me.

In my father's house are many rooms.

If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am, you may also be also.

You see, a troubled heart's one of the most common things in this world.

There's no position in this world that's immune to it.

Today you may sit here with many questions, lingering feelings, anxiousness.

Life has kicked you in a lot of different directions.

I don't really care who you are.

There's no social class, rank, race, gender, there's no bars, no bolts that can keep it out.

It can come both inwardly, it can come externally.

You see, the word troubled here means to cause great distress.

There's a riot that's stirring up inside.

There's chaos, there's a loss of control, there's a feeling of anarchy.

How many of you guys have experienced that, this type of turmoil in your own souls?

Some of you have them here this morning.

Why does my heart feel troubled?

I feel alone.

I feel a sense of guilt or shame.

Have I denied Christ in my own actions?

There's a chaos that constantly consumes.

There's an anarchy in our own souls, there's an unrest that we experience.

And Jesus comes in to address that this morning.

Before we jump in, uh if we're dealing with a man's promise, I would careful, be careful to consider the ability and the character of the man who makes that promise with me.

You see, our eyes need to be fixed upon the greatness of the promiser.

Anything else will make us stagger.

I'm sure you guys know friends or people who, when they say something, you kind of just smirk, knowing that they are just going to blow, they're blowing smoke, right?

This is not the case with God.

God cannot lie, we see in Titus.

This word of his that you have is as true as his own existence.

This is laying the foundation.

He is a God unchangeable.

He has not altered anything which has come out of his mouth or called back one single sentence.

He does not lack any power.

It's the God who has made the heavens and spoke the world into existence.

So these words aren't to be taken flippantly, but they're for us to cherish, to hold fast to when we feel in times uncertain.

You see, Jesus gives here what's called an imperative.

And imperatives in the Bible are really just commands.

You have indicatives, which are statements that are made, and we have imperatives, which are commands.

And Jesus uses a double imperative as the urgent response to emphasize why they should not be troubled.

This command is a remedy for our troubled hearts.

This is the medicine that's going to fix the ailments that we have.

Let your heart not be troubled.

That's our problem.

Believe in God, believe also in me.

Trust in God, trust also in me.

Look to God, look also to me.

How simple a response.

But just because something's simple does not mean it comes with its challenges.

It says Jesus always speaks the word of God and does the acts of God.

Should not he be trusted like God.

If we meditate on his promises, look to the promiser, we shall experience the sweetness and obtain its fulfillment.

He often he goes then on to verse 2 to say what awaits us then.

This verse is used often in funerals.

This was actually used heretically in my mom's funeral.

But for the Christian, this gives us a great comfort in a picture of what lies before us.

He says, in my father's house.

Why does he use this analogy?

I think for us when we think about a house, there's a familial comfort to that.

A place that is as home.

I don't know you, but the older that I get, the more of a homebody I become, right?

You may be gone for a week.

Some of you guys went to camps these past weeks.

Um after a long trip, there is nothing more comforting than my own bed, my own smells, my own food.

Uh it just feels right.

I long for my home.

The KJV uses the language here, it calls it many mansions.

Not that you, sorry, I don't want to burst your bubble, are getting a mansion, but keeping up with the analogy that the place that God has for us is vast, is large, and he's inviting his people and preparing that place for us.

Um I don't know, I was a public school kid, and one of the I watched the show in the early 2000s called MTV Cribs.

Is anyone familiar with that?

Uh there is a these celebrities, they would uh they would open up their homes and then they would show off their uh lavish homes, like here's my pool on my roof and my fire pool that goes from the third floor to the basement, right?

So there's these beautiful homes.

There were everyone's like, oh, the cleanliness of them, uh, something new.

Um it something that it drew uh people to to really desire.

There's a reason I feel like for some reason we're drawn to that.

Um we are longing for a home.

Our homes, really, though, are shadows, what we're really longing for.

They're not the it's just a temporary of what our true place that God is preparing for us.

You see, we're aliens here and our fears that we'll be left.

Jesus prepares them saying, I'm leaving, that's the part of it, but I am returning in a short while.

And it's for you.

He's preparing a place for you.

But things have to happen in order that you can enter into the Father's home.

You see, what do we feel when we when we when we feel abandoned or we can't see the before us?

We start to freak out, right?

We forget things, we forget the things that the promises maybe that are made, we maybe fall into sin, we get angry, uh, we become afraid.

We want to hold on to what we feel comfortable with.

We want to hold fast and take control when we feel like we're losing control.

You see, the disciples feared.

We often fear.

Um our mailbox is about 10 houses down.

We live on this easement, and uh I have to go get the mail.

And one day I was telling my boys, they were a little bit younger, I was like, hey, boys, they were playing in the basement.

I yelled up, hey, I'll be back in a minute.

I'm gonna go get the mail.

Um so I went down the street, go get the mail, and when I came back, you would have thought World War III was happening.

Their clothes were ripped off, they were screaming bloody tears, pounding on glass windows, pots and pans were everywhere.

They're like, Where were you, dad?

We thought you left us.

It's like, no, it's I said I was going to get the mail and I'm coming back.

And uh and that's often our our posture, right?

But it should be different.

Um during March Madness, uh, I was following one of my favorite basketball teams.

Uh the problem was the game that I was following started at 11 p.m.

And if anyone knows me, I'm in bed at like 8:30, 9 o'clock.

So that was like as big of a fan as I am, I just I just can't hang.

So the next morning, I checked the score, I saw the final score, static.

They won.

Uh so I was great.

I wanted to watch the replay of the game with my boys.

And while we were watching it, I realized something unique rather than watching like a live game.

Every time that the other team would score, go on a big run, or it felt like that we were down throughout the game, uh, I didn't have this sense of angst.

I bec why is that?

Because I already knew the outcome.

I already knew that there was victory ahead.

So despite what happened in the game, the ups and the downs, I knew the final score.

I knew the outcome was victory.

So it is with heaven and perfection, immortality in your room this morning.

The deed is done, and we have heard from Christ in this text that we cannot doubt he has gone to heaven to prepare a place for you.

And that he will come again and receive you to himself.

So look closely, even look closely at this verse in verse 3.

You can see, he says, Who's going to take us again now?

Is this us who are going to take ourselves there?

He says, I will come again and will take you to myself.

Christ is going to take you there.

We need to be a people who anticipate that day and live in that reality.

So Peter asks, Where are we going?

Peter fears losing Jesus.

Jesus comforts him that there's a place that I'm going to bring you to.

This is then followed by Thomas.

Thomas says, How can we know this way?

So you're telling me there is a way.

How can I know this way?

Jesus comforts him by saying, Disciples have a certain way to heaven.

The disciples have a certain way to heaven.

So let's look at verses four through seven.

And you know the way to where I am going.

Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you are going.

How can we know the way?

Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.

If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.

From now on, you do know him and have seen him.

Not only as heaven for sure, but we have a certain way there.

Thomas has this fear, right?

We know Thomas is doubting Thomas.

Thomas is like that person who has his uh is looking for his keys all over his house or his purse, um, whatever it may be, but they're the keys are in his pocket the entire time, right?

Thomas is uh under this deep distress.

His anxieties are feeling high.

But Jesus has trained them well.

Don't be cast down.

As you've never heard me say any of these things before.

Awake from your hopelessness, stir up your memories, just think a little bit, reflect.

Surely you know all that I've told you.

The way to the Father's house is through the way, the truth, and the life.

Reformers have historically distinguished these three offices of Christ that we see as shadows in the Old Testament.

They were set up for Israel's as markers to point them to the Father.

They were known as prophet, priests, and kings.

And here we see this connection between the way, the truth, and the life, and this coming of Christ, fulfilling these promises as the true prophet, priest, and king.

You see, the priestly role was associated with the tabernacle, the temple.

This is where the atonement of our sins were made.

It emphasized sacrifice, site management, education.

Priests acted as representatives of divine to the people, and from people to the divine.

As a priest, as the true high priest, Jesus is the way to the Father.

He is both sacrificed for our sins and the mediator of the new covenant.

The Father's house can only be reached through his mediation and atonement.

Faith in me is the key to heaven.

Christ as priest, he is the way.

We also see the prophet.

A prophet in the Old Testament was any person directed by an inspiration of God to proclaim his will.

They spoke truth about the present and what would happen if people did not return and follow Yahweh.

As a prophet, Jesus is the truth of the Father.

He is the word made flesh that we saw in John 1.

He is the final word God has spoken to his people.

Christ is the root of all knowledge and truth.

So Christ as priest as the way, Christ as prophet as the truth, and life's lastly, Christ as King, being life.

As King, Jesus is the life giver who gives life now and the coming for all of eternity.

He is the King whom the Father has already installed in Zion, sitting at the right hand of God and the ruler over the kings of the earth, redeemer from the death, and the giver of life.

So as the way, the truth, and the life, Christ is the true prophet, the true priest, and the true king.

And each marker of these in the Old Testament was insufficient, right?

These were ran by flawed men who were cowards, they were liars, they allowed the world to seep in and lure them away.

But listen to how our London Baptist Confessions connects Christ to these offices.

God was pleased in his eternal purpose to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, his only begotten Son, according to the covenant made between them and to be the mediator between God and humanity.

God chose him to be the prophet, priest, and the king, or put another way, the way, the truth, and the life.

And to be the head and the savior of the church, the heir of all things, and judge of the world from all eternity, God gave the Son a people to be his offspring.

In time, these people would be redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, glorified by him.

All of these pieces, these prophet, priests, and kings in the Old Testament, were replicas for the fulfillment of Jesus.

He is the way, the truth, and the truth and the life.

He is the prophet, priest, and king.

Christ is declaring that the shadow of these old things have passed away, and that the new age has come.

And it's only through me alone.

If you look up here, is an image.

This is my oldest.

Before my mom passed, we she wanted to buy a lake house kind of as like a fair family heirloom.

So we go up there regularly.

This was just a couple weeks ago when we were up there.

And if you've ever been to Putin Bay, it's uh northern Ohio, that the only way to get across to Putin Bay is through the ferry.

Right?

We drive up there after this long drive, but there is only one way to that other side of the island.

And in this text, what we see as Jesus being the way, the truth, and the life, this is one of those glass half-full or half-empty moments for those who hear this message.

So for the disciples, Jesus is comforting them to bring them peace.

Their dear friend is claiming to be the way to the Father.

They're asking these questions, and the solution, the remedy is right before them.

But for others, there's an exclusion.

That those who do not receive this are actually shut out of all ways of salvation.

You can either come by me by my atonement, or you will not come at all.

You see, the word through me means actually a door or a gate, a road, a path, some sort of entrance.

It's an expression which would have been well known to the Jews, taught from their childhood to draw near to God by the priests.

And here we see Jesus claiming to be that true priest.

1800s Welsh preacher Christmas Evans, uh, Charles Spurgeon said he was one of the greatest Baptist preachers.

He actually has one eye.

Um, he says, There is no choice.

You must accept him or remain unreconciled and be cast into hell.

Israel found but one path through the Red Sea.

The church shall never find more than one way to the heavenly Canaan.

Christ is the elect and the beloved of the Father, the appointed medium of man's approach, the designated channel of God's communication.

Believe in God, believe in me.

I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life.

Everything that was promised in the Old Testament, all of these systems are shadows of things that have and will be fulfilled in Christ.

His words do not fail.

So Peter asks, where are we going?

Thomas asks, How can I know the way?

Lastly, we see Philip, Lord, show us the Father.

It's enough for us.

Or put another way, can we see the Father?

And Jesus gives in verses 8 through 14 his response that his works will not cease.

So let's look at that.

Philip said to him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.

Jesus said to him, Have I been with you so long and you still do not know me, Philip?

Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

How can you say, Show us the Father?

Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me?

The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me and does his works.

Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

Truly, truly I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do, in greater works than these he will do, because I am going to the Father.

Whoever whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

As a teacher, I teach up at uh Mason.

I l I'm a middle school teacher there.

I labor over the content, uh trying to get my students to understand the material, right?

I got these elaborate lessons, these learning experiences, these projects, these assignments, checkpoints, um, all of these things trying to engage my students in their learning.

But it never fails me though.

At the end of the unit, I get some kid who says, right before the test, he goes, uh, what's this test on?

What?

It's like Philip is that dude right now, right?

Jesus strikes right at the heart of Philip.

Were you even listening to what I said?

You've been with me this whole time, but you don't know me?

If you do not know me, you do not know the Father.

How can you say that show us the Father?

We can look at these disciples and say how foolish they are, but oftentimes I'm like my students too, and uh I just forget these things.

And Jesus reiterates the words and the works that I say and do testify that the Father is in me, and I am the Father.

Jesus here again is claiming to be the Christ, the very God, a very God, equal with the Father in all things, and also one with him.

The beauty of the Trinity is being more fully revealed.

I love what this pastor says.

B.B.

Warfield, a 1900s preacher, puts it this way.

The Old Testament may be likened to a chamber or den, with richly furnished but dimly lighted.

The introduction of light, remember John 1, the light into the world, brings into nothing which was not in it before, but it brings out a clearer view, much of what is in it, but was only dimly or evenly not at all perceived before.

Thus the Old Testament revelation of God is not corrected by the fuller revelation that follows it, but only perfected, extended, and enlarged.

The Father is in me, and I am in the Father.

The room is lighting up, and we're starting to see more clearly the glory and the majesty of our triune God.

But here's the amazing thing: Jesus said that we're actually gonna do greater works that he is going to do.

And the clues from the text help us to understand what he means.

Because at first glance, you might read this and you're like, all right, so Jesus is one person, he's gonna die, he's gonna raise again, the spirit's gonna come to his people, and there's more people, right?

And therefore, uh there it's greater because there's more of us.

Or you might say, uh we're gonna do more spectacular works than Jesus.

But it's it's hard to imagine that uh someone can do something more spectacular than raising the dead, feeding 5,000, turning water into wine.

So what so what does he mean behind doing greater works?

And I think he's he's uh his whole purpose of his mission here.

You see, the works of Christ are the testimony that he and the Father are one.

What connections then can we make about then our works?

How are we gonna do greater works than that?

Jesus is revealing that we will be able to do his works in greater than what he does because of our union with the Father.

And we'll see this later on as we work through chapter 14 and 15, being attached to this vine.

You see, Jesus' disciples were performed greater works.

Why?

Because he is going to the Father.

Our works are in a what we call a new age that's come about because of his going to the Father.

You see, during Jesus' life, even his closest friends were sometimes veiled to who Jesus was.

So it's not like Jesus was any less God prior to his resurrection, but in his glorification, in his death, in his burial, his resurrection, his followers will make will know and make known all that Jesus is and does, and their every deed will now belong to what is our new age that we're a part of.

How is this accomplished?

The Father sending of the Son, the Son accomplishing the will of the Father through his work through his works, and gifting his people right now with the Spirit applied to those who trust in the way, the truth, and the life.

This is what unites us to the Father.

So those signs and works that Jesus performed during his ministry really were not fully accomplished to their true end until after Jesus had died and risen from the dead and been exalted.

This is the first time in history the spirit that we now receive is the risen crucified Christ.

All of the works because of our union with Christ will now point to the glory of God.

This is exactly why it's greater.

D.A.

Carson, a contemporary theologian, puts it out this way: At the point redemption is won, the kingdom of God is triumphantly invading the nations with saving and transforming power.

The locus of the covenant community stretches outward from its Jewish confines to embrace the world.

And the disciples themselves are empowered and equipped to engage in far-reaching ministry.

Do you feel like you live in that reality?

The power of this new age.

That heaven is for sure for you this morning, that the way has been made for you.

Greater works than Christ?

I don't experience that.

Why?

I think oftentimes we allow our circumstances to shape our confidence.

We allow our circumstances to shape our confidence.

We have a heart problem.

Right?

Look at these disciples, all these questions that they're having, that they've been with Jesus this whole time.

We forget the promises of God.

We get tossed to and fro by the wind and waves, and we forget.

And what does that lead us to?

We feel trapped, maybe enslaved to sin.

And we search after other saviors.

They're powerless.

We find them in things or we find them in our own self.

You mean when Leah first died, the first thing I thought I would do is go out and buy an expensive espresso machine, thinking that it would maybe satisfy some of the pain that we were feeling.

We try to fill our God-sized holes with things.

In our troubled hearts, we want comfort, but we don't want Christ.

Christ in himself brings this comfort.

But all we want are our comfortable things.

We miss out on the peace and the confidence that God offers, and we toil in our anxieties.

So we search for other saviors, we end up leaving, feeling further hopeless, even though they may temporarily satisfy, but they never quench our true heart's longings.

So for those of you this morning who are not experiencing that type of peace, or this power this morning that God has promised, what's snatching that away from you?

Where do you feel like you need to reorient your head, your heart, your hands?

Where do you need to believe in the gospel in your life?

But the good news that we know is that Jesus prepares a place for you.

Christ was the only way.

It required the perfect sacrifice.

Christ was the truth, the word of God made flesh.

Christ gave his life so that you might have life.

He was alienated from God.

He left his throne in his home so that you may experience the full blessing and power of grace.

It's only through him.

Purchasing his church, but raised in power and glory.

Now that in that power and glory, you will do greater things, not because you are special or more spectacular, but because the kingdom of God is triumphantly here and his spirit is now in his people.

When Jesus says, do not let your hearts be troubled, believe in God, believe in me.

We can rest easy in those words.

We can trust the promiser.

So what does this mean?

What does this mean for me?

What does this mean for you?

I think it's simple and it comes from our text.

Believe in God, believe in me.

This belief transforms everything.

The way that you act, the way that you talk, the way that you live your life will look radically different.

We work differently.

We're now empowered by the Spirit in this age of the Spirit living inside of us, united to Christ.

Remember the text in 13 and 1414.

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do.

That the Father may be glorified in the Son.

If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

From now on, the way that you live, care, serve, talk, your works are transformed.

I think about a kid who has a deep belief in Santa Claus, right?

Well during that season, they're dressed like, you know, they're all festive, they uh they're writing their list out, they're sending letters, they're going to go try to meet him.

Uh there is a uh they're making cookies and they're getting their milk ready, right?

Their belief is drawing out this action and overflowing for a fake, silly, jolly man.

How much richer is the God of the universe who is resurrected, sitting at the throne, how that belief should drive us to move and to uh display his glory among the earth.

But also in our belief, over a hundred times we see in the Old Testament this idea of to remember and to wait.

In the chaos, because it's gonna happen, the game's gonna go up and down.

We know the outcome, but we can remember and wait.

Tim Chalice, a pastor, uh, recently wrote a book after his 21-year-old uh son died expectantly called Seasons of Sorrow.

And in his season of having a troubled heart, he shares the story about some local farmers.

I'm gonna read a little passage.

It might have seemed strange for farmers to sow their seeds so late in the year, the earth already beginning to harden and snow soon to bury the fields beneath great drifts.

But the farmers made no mistake, for they were sowing their winter wheat.

Such wheat is planted in the final days of summer and lies buried in the fields through the cold, dark months.

At Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Easter, it may appear to have been wasted effort.

But the farmer knows better.

For as winter draws to a close, as the snow melts and the ground warms, the wheat will burst to life and begin to grow.

What is sown in a season of cold and darkness will be a rich harvest in the season of warmth and brightness.

The farmers who sowed their fields in the last days of summer are not concerned for their crops through the winter.

They know that seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer, winter, day, night, these cycles do not cease.

They wait patiently and confidently, knowing that soon enough the season will change, the sun will warm, the ground will thaw, and their winter wheat will grow into a mighty summer harvest.

On that day there will not be one single stalk in the entire field that first have to go to the ground and die through a long dormancy in winter's cold.

This morning, the hope that we have in Christ.

For those who have put their old self to death, we do not have to sit here today with troubled hearts.

The circumstances and dark days will happen.

This is not some fingers crossed, wish upon a star type of hope, but a sure and steady conviction that what is sown perishable will be raised imperishable.

What's sown in dishonor will be raised in honor.

What is sown in weakness will be raised in power.

You see, when Leah died, that was one of the hardest things that we had to experience.

But God was present.

We leaned in his truths and his people.

He had never left us.

He was his ways were good.

Even at times it felt like chaos and anarchy.

And we can see this most beautifully displayed in the cross.

We work and we wait.

God has provided everything that we need, and in our waiting we can trust.

Believe in God, believe also in me.

Let's pray.