“So I am 16 years young and a brand new believer suffering my first crisis of faith. I am having trouble "believing in Jesus." So I grab my Living New Testament and shut my eyes and pray "Lord show me you are really there" and open the Bible and stick my finger on the page. And the verse that jumps off the page from underneath my finger is John 14:1: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me."
I laugh now. I wasn't laughing then. I was bubbling over with excitement and sharing my Revelation with the kids at youth group, most of whom looked at me with puzzled glances.
Years later there is still plenty of material for comfort in John 14. I am still a blind young man, yearning to see. Jesus shows me the mansion waiting for me. He reminds me that I will get there by Him: "I am the way, the truth and the life." He reminds me that although He is in heaven and I cannot see Him, yet He is with me because the Father "will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." Through the Spirit I can see with the eye of faith Him who the world cannot, will not see.
And he promises this blind young man peace. First, peace with God, purchased with sweat, blood and tears in the garden and Golgotha. Second, peace with my fellow humans because I am relieved of the burden of selfish striving. I do not need to justify myself or be first (although I still do so anyway sometimes). What a relief to not be a slave to self, but to cast all my cares upon Him, because He loves me. Neither do I need to compell others to serve my will. Rather than try to control others, I give God control. It's much more peaceful that way.
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