John 14:1–Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled: Believe

John 14:1–"Let not your hearts be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in me."

This begins Jesus' final message to His disciples in John, culminating in the High Priestly Prayer (John 17).  It comes at the beginning of this long discourse that Jesus, after prophesying His death again, comforts His disciples with this.  In this statement, Jesus desires to console His disciples–and us too!–indicating that overcoming trouble and trepidation is not a matter of trying harder or feeling better: it is about believing in God and also in Jesus.  Think about this as we prepare for 2014.