“Let not your hearts be troubled.” These words of comfort, spoken by Jesus to his earliest disciples, were as relevant in the first century as they are today. Our hearts are easily unsettled with even a brief glance at our world, our nation, our city, our families, and our own lives. The word Jesus uses for “troubled” is the same word used to describe water that has been stirred up. Like choppy seas, the disciples’ hearts are restless and unsteady—and Jesus speaks a word to calm the storm within them.

What would Jesus say to those of us with troubled, overwhelmed, and anxious hearts? What would he say to those walking through disappointment, failure, loss, or pain? Thankfully, we do not have to wonder. His answer is recorded for us in John 14.