King of the Troubled Heart

One of the ways I love to keep my heart soft is by listening to John Ortberg's 10-minute weekday podcast called "Become New." John is an artist with his words, he's a preacher who deeply understands people, and he's discovered a new level of vulnerability in recent years. I really value his pairing of crafted concepts and relatable language.

Not many days ago, in a series he's teaching called "Untroubled Heart," he made an off-hand comment that won't leave me alone. He referred to satan as the "king of the troubled heart."

King of the troubled heart. We'll come back to that.

First, a couple of scriptural truths:

In John 16:33, Jesus says to His disciples--then as now--"In this world you will have trouble."

I'm not sure why folks who have been around the church for a long time seem to have forgotten this promise. It may be because we only want to focus on the warm-fuzzy promises Jesus made... things like, "I will be with you" and "I am Your Good Shepherd."

But make no mistake. Jesus promised that we'd have trouble.

Another word from Jesus in John 14:1, a verse often spoken at funerals: "Don't let your hearts be troubled."

But wait, how can we keep our hearts from being troubled when we will have trouble?

That's where Ortberg's off-hand comment comes in so profoundly helpful.

Circumstances determine trouble.

Kingship determines peace.

Every breath you take is subject to one of two kings: Jesus or satan.

One gives you peace in the storm. The other wants to give you storms to unsettle your heart.

The full text of John 16:33, written in red, is so clarifying: “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.”

Choose the right king for your heart, the one who has overcome this world.

And please don't think this was a one-time decision. It was a decision that launched a lifetime of decisions.

So today, when traffic is bad or your friend is unkind or your family is acting like someone else's family... choose to be part of the right Kingdom.

Jesus is the king of the untroubled heart.

Thanks be to God.