The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. 2 Corinthians 13:13 NRSV.

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord. They rejoice in Your name all day long; they exult in Your righteousness. Psalm 89:15-16.

This morning upon opening the blinds, the sky was brilliant orange in the east; I could hear distant thunder and now rain is pouring down. All of that leaves me in awe of the beauty and power and closeness of Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit. And when you draw near to Him, the softness of His presence enlightening your heart with His assurance brings joy and hope. And you begin to understand that this world without God is tribulation. That’s why closeness with Him is so vital for us who love Him. And in our chapter, John 16, so little time is left for the disciples to be with Jesus, the Son, now. “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” v. 1-15. The world is still convicted concerning sin because the world still stumbles after hate and lies and those who follow that way do not know Jesus, the Son, or the Father or the Holy Spirit. “A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me.” Some of His disciples then said to one another, “What is this thing He is telling us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and ‘because I go to the Father’?” v. 17. How could they understand before they lived the very words Jesus was telling them? Jesus knew that they wished to question Him, and He said to them, “Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me’? Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy. Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father.” v. 19-28. Jesus is reassuring them before the horrible events take place that they could not fully imagine happening to the Son, Creator God. Events known before the creation of the world and us. His disciples said, “Lo, now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech. Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” v. 29-33. Every time I read that last statement, I have overcome the world, I ask, but what about now? And Jesus told us, just as we experience in our own lives, In the world you have tribulation. Period. And if we have any eyes to see at all, we can’t help but see and know that truth. But when we turn to Him and give our hearts to Him in trust, we find that we, too, are not alone because Creator God is with us always. He is our help and our strength and our hope. We can do more than read those words. We can live them with Him. Ask. In that day you will ask in My name… and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf…for the Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father…and…I will send the Helper to you…and He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.

Only Creator God knows and He will help us see and in seeing, begin to trust Him for all things. The world will still pull and try to engulf us in what it thinks is needed and important. But when you begin to walk with God who loves us, you will begin to see and experience what is true and real. God’s love. We can experience that now with Him and it is only with Him that we can experience His love with us. Not only that, but we will begin to understand the wisdom of the way God leads us to love and trust Him – and then why we need to love one another. That’s huge…and beyond the way of this world to understand. The Kingdom of God has nothing with the way of the tribulation of the kingdoms of men! In the world you have tribulation. In Me you may have peace. I have overcome the world. Our choice always in this life. Who do you trust?