Contolled Panic

I watched the Criterium International on my DVR last night. David Millar of Great Britain won the Stage Three time trial by following the advice of his friend Christian Vande Velde who told him to ride in a "controlled panic." Controlled panic. What is that like? There are times in life when it's hard to avoid panic. Your job goes away. Your finances are collapsing. Your marriage falls apart. Your child is in rebellion. How do you control your panic in those kinds of situaitons?

Jesus knew that his disciples would soon be in that type of situation. Their teacher and master was soon to die. They would be left alone, seemingly hopeless. What were they to do? Jesus told them in John 14:1. "Do not let your hearts be troubled." He repeated the same command in verse 27. "Do not let your hearts be trouble and do not be afraid." But how do you do that when you find yourself in a panic inducing situation? How do you control your panic. How do you not allow your heart to be unsettled, in commotion, full of turmoil?

Jesus said: "Trust in God. Trust also in me." (v. 1) Jesus tells his disciples how to control the panic their hearts will feel when they see him suffer and die, when they watch him go to the grave. Trust in him. They've seen Jesus overcome everything from demons to disease. They've seen Jesus command the elements and multiply loaves and fishes. They've seen him defeat death on several occasions. They've even heard him predict his own death and resurrection. They have every reason to put their trust in him again, even when all hope seems to be gone.

We need to learn to trust God completely when life tries to instill panic in us. We need to believe that the God who loved us enough to send his own Son to save us will be there for us when we need him most. We need to believe that the Savior who loved us enough to die for us loves us enough to see us through the worst of circumstances.

But not allowing your heart to be troubled is a choice. It's a matter of choosing to trust in God rather than give in to the feelings of panic. It's a matter of choosing to look to Jesus instead of looking only at the things that are troubling you. It's a matter of controlling the panic that threatens to overwhelm us by trusting in our Lord and his overwhelming love for us. Easter reminds us that our trust in the Lord is never in vain. The disciples' panic turned to joy when they learned of Jesus' resurrection victory. So just skip the panic and do as Jesus said: "Do not let your hearts be troubled."