A World Of Trouble – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl

Today’s Passages – John 14 – 16; Proverbs 12

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 56 – 60; Memorize Psalm 100:4)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Proverbs 27:15

Jesus said in the last verse of John chapter 16:

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Have you ever visited Ellis Island? Ellis Island is where more than 12 million immigrants entered our great nation. They wanted to leave the tribulations going on in their own countries and start fresh, a new life, here. Little did they know what was coming. If you’ve been to the museum that is on the island, you know what I’m talking about. One thing they have there are computers loaded with names. There were three with the name Theodore Henry Stahl that came over on the banana boat. I guess my name was pretty popular. But when you tour the museum, they have pictures like the one shown here. First and second class passengers were interviewed and allowed to exit the ship and go through customs. The third class passengers were taken to Ellis Island where they were subjected to a medieval torturer doing a medical examination. Still, only 2% of those 12 million were turned away. Ellis Island was closed on November 12^th 1954 (I was a little over 9 months old at the time).

Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

If you asked an immigrant if the long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, and all the poking and prodding of the medical examination was worth their escape from the tribulation of the homeland, they would probably tell you: “Yes. It was.”

Jesus said that in this world ye SHALL have tribulation. Do you think heaven is worth it? All those things that happen to you or your family. The struggles to pay bills, buy your family food and clothes. Maybe you even face persecution for the Lord’s sake. Either way, in this world ye shall have tribulation. It’s part of the curse – “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread…” Maybe God put the trials and tribulations in our lives for a reason. Maybe we should look at our troubles in a different light. Maybe we should look at them as little gifts from God, drawing us closer to Him. After all, He is always going to be with us through whatever we go through. He will always give us what we need.

I think if we look at our problems as gifts from God, just maybe they will not upset or frustrate us anymore. When one of these “gifts” come up, stop and pray. Ask the Lord how He would want you to deal with it. Or maybe He will make it His to deal with, showing Himself great and powerful in your life.

Remember, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Peace. (John 16:33)