SOUL TROUBLING

"Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." John 12:27,28a

Every Christian has at one time or another experienced "soul troubling." No matter the context, every child of God has experienced periods of extreme emotional & spiritual agitation. Christ felt this shortly before His trial and crucifixion. It was not just His body that was crushed, bruised, stripped naked and nailed to the cross, but His very soul was beaten, broken, bruised, and stripped - exposed before friends and foes. In a very real sense His soul was crucified before His body was.

Remarkably, Christ did not ask for deliverance from the anguish and suffering that awaited Him. Instead He acknowledged that He was born to fulfill this "purpose" -- to glorify His heavenly Father's name.

You may be facing difficult circumstances that are troubling your own soul. It may be that your soul has been pierced, pummeled, and stripped bare before your friends and enemies. Perhaps you are asking God to deliver you, perhaps not. But like Christ, we know that God has created us for a reason and equipped us not only to face our trials but triumph over them as well - realizing that their ultimate purpose is to honor and glorify His name.