Take Heart, Be Still

Edwin Friedman, in his incredible leadership book, Failure of Nerve talks about how when humans are grouped into an unhealthy emotional system, we tend to develop this herd mentality where we get swept up and away in the general consensus of the population without critically thinking and discerning whether what we’re thinking, or acting on is inherently positive, productive, true or good. 

In other words, we become so consumed with the trouble of this world that instead of facing it head on and reconciling the hurt within our soul, we avoid it—perpetuating the cycle of anxiety further and further.  

And so, the question becomes how do we find peace in this life? 

Jesus—I believe—is the perfect example and embodiment of peace.

Notice in this verse from John 16:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NIV).

Just before he announces to us, “hey, in this world, you WILL have trouble—bad things WILL happen” he precedes by saying, “I’m telling you all of this so that you may have peace.” 

Jesus sandwiches this wretched reality of our broken world by declaring, “peace is possible through me” and charging us with this incredible phrase—TAKE HEART! Ending with a declaration, I have overcome the world.  

I want to focus in on this charge to take heart!

How do we take heart?

Why are we to take heart?

What’s the benefit of growing in courage and righteousness and holiness if the world around us is so broken? 

See, I believe Jesus makes it clear that a life, “on earth as it is in heaven” is possible for those who can transcend through the pain and nurture the peace of Christ within their heart and soul.

Despite the pain and darkness around us, true life, joy, happiness, fulfillment and intimacy, relationship and love is possible right now—if we will just take heart. 

A passage from Mark 1 speaks further into how this is possible:

As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew.  Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her.  So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door,   and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed (Mark 1:29-35, NIV).

Here we see Jesus enter the house of one of his disciples and it says, “immediately” he’s confronted with the fact that one of his disciple’s mother-in-law is deathly ill.

Immediately, he’s met with pain and hurt—with the troubles of this world.

But he heals her and all is well.

Then, after sunset, word spreads about this man who can heal the sick and so the whole town begins to bring the sick and demon-possessed to Jesus.

Left and right, all through the night, Jesus heals people.

For hours upon hours, he’s inundated with the darkest, most painful stories this world has to offer. 

And then, it says that very early in the morning, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place to pray.

Keep that tucked away—we’ll come back to it.

But this is important because this is the first instance in our passage today of this pattern that we see in Jesus—and you can remember it like this: Take heart, be still.

Simon and his companions went to look for him,   and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”  So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean. Jesus was indignant.[i] He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”  Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning:  “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”  Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere (Mark 1:37-45, NIV).

Do you see this pattern?

Take heart, be still.

Jesus is suffocated by evil and darkness and he has the courage to enter into it, he has the courage to face it head on, but eventually, it becomes so overwhelming that he retreats. He goes to a place to be alone and to be filled by his Father.

But, before he can take a breath, his disciples find him. “Jesus, what are you doing?! Did you see that back there?! You were amazing, Jesus! Jesus, everyone is looking for you. Come back and heal these people, Jesus!” 

But what does Jesus say?

Let us go somewhere else.

Take heart, be still.    

So, they go somewhere else and once again, Jesus is met with sickness and disease—this time a man with leprosy—who would have been seen as “unclean” to the Israelites.

This man was an outcast, the lowest of the low, a disgust. He says, “heal me, Jesus.” Jesus says, “I am willing” and he heals him. Immediately, Jesus says, “don’t tell anyone about this but go and show the priests.”

Well, the man doesn’t listen, and he goes and tells EVERYONE! 

And this passage ends by saying that Jesus could no longer enter a town. Every time he entered a town he was bombarded by the troubles of this world, by the demon-possessed, the sick, the lame, the blind and the deaf seeking to be healed—so he stays outside in lonely places.

Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. 

Sickness. Disease. Impairment. Evil. All of the world’s problems constantly bombarding Jesus.

Everyone wanted Jesus’ help.

And as I read this story, I thought, “man, it must’ve been difficult being Jesus” but then I thought, “how easy is it for us—propping ourselves up as our own gods—to believe that we are people’s saviors? That we need to be everywhere all the time?!” 

We see all of the evil and the heartache and the sickness and the disease in the world and we do 1 of 2 things: Either we run towards it all and become so overwhelmed by the sheer volume of darkness we’re faced with that we give up or we run away from it all and pretend it doesn’t exist. 

How many of us find ourselves so overwhelmed, so anxious, so consumed with noise, with hurry, with darkness, sin, evil and the troubles of this world that our only response is to numb out?

We numb the pain of this world by endlessly scrolling on Instagram or Tik Tok, with food or sleep, video games or pornography.

And what happens is instead of embodying this balance of courage and peace, instead of becoming a peaceful presence, we end up getting swept away in the anxiety and darkness of this world along with everyone else.

Either way we end up missing out on fulfilling Jesus’ command to take heart!

Choose differently today.

Take heart by being still.

Be encouraged.