Living Un-agitated in an Agitating Season

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.…” (John 14:1a, NIV)

Jesus says this at the beginning of his “Farewell Discourse” (John 14-17) when he is preparing the disciples for his death. The words themselves indicate he is about to say something troubling. At least for me, when someone starts a conversation with, “Don’t worry, but…” I immediately brace myself for unsettling news.

In fact, the original language makes even clearer what Jesus anticipates his disciples will feel. The Greek word for troubled is tarassó, which means “to agitate” or “cause inner perplexity.” Like a top-loading washing machine with an agitator to mix the clothes with detergent and water, we tend to allow life to mix us up inside.

And yet, Jesus said don’t. So how do we stop? To answer that question, we need to appreciate the context, acknowledge the challenges, and accept the key Jesus offers.

Appreciate the Context

To understand scripture, we must look at context. In this case, John 14 is a continuation of the scene at the end of John 13, which reveals Jesus sharing with the disciples the Passover meal, washing their feet, and identifying the one who will betray him. He tells them that his time is short. This would be like any of us hearing someone we love has a short time to live—except the disciples may not have understood why the Son of God was vulnerable to death or why he hadn’t overthrown Rome yet.

They’re still absorbing the events of the previous chapter when Jesus assures them he won’t leave them as orphans. This, too, would raise questions about what he’s doing that would make them feel like orphans. This statement, however, underscores that Jesus knows our human need for connection and that his departure may be perceived as abandonment, a crucible to the human heart.

Ultimately, He is preparing them for His arrest, trials, persecution, and death, but even his preparation could cause agitation. Yet, Jesus is not “troubled,” nor is he calling the synagogue for prayer or looking for sympathy. Instead, He instructs the disciples to follow his example. And he seems to be indicating they have some control over where their minds go!

Acknowledge the Challenge

Jesus understood the difficulty of asking His disciples not to become agitated, which goes against our natural tendencies. Our core challenge is that we tend to believe lies that create strongholds in our minds. A stronghold is a profoundly ingrained thinking pattern based on lies or deception. We see the origins of this in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3) and continuing throughout the biblical narrative. We also see the way to overcome them is with truth, as Jesus demonstrated when Satan tempted him in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11).

Strongholds built on lies distort how we see God, ourselves, and the world around us. But God's truth is the only thing that can break these strongholds and renew our minds. These lies often surface when we try to obey Jesus' words, like, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” We might want to obey, but something inside resists because of a lie we believe. That’s when truth must confront the lie, so we can experience freedom. And remember, freedom comes at a cost. Here are some things it might cost us:

• Lies of the world: These are the false messages we absorb from our experiences, circumstances, or even people. We form beliefs about God, ourselves, and others that don’t line up with Scripture. And sometimes, we even live out these lies and find reasons to justify them. But the more we ground ourselves in the truth of God’s Word (the Bible), the Living Word (Jesus), and the revealed word (the Spirit who teaches), the more freedom we’ll experience—a freedom where our hearts are at rest.

• Lies of attachments: These are the false promises connected to the things to which we cling—like money, influence, beauty, or even subtler things like dreams and expectations of God, ourselves, or others. Anything that takes the place of faith in God will ultimately fail us. When it does, God is gracious and longs to take its place and keep us in perfect peace. Recognizing and releasing attachment to something doesn’t mean losing it. Rather it means no longer believing the lie that it will fulfill.  

• Lies of the enemy: These are the sneaky, whispered thoughts that creep in—distortions of our past, inadequacies, or unworthiness. Shame is often at the root, trying to keep us hidden in the shadows when God has called us into His light. We often entertain these thoughts as parts of our story, personality, or identities. But since we know there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1), these lies need to be given direction to return to where they originated, in hell. God’s truth about us frees us from all condemnation and for untroubled hearts.

So living in truth costs us only what keeps us from the peace he gives us.

Accept the Key

Finally, Jesus doesn’t just command us to stop—He gives us the way to do it. He says, “…You believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1b). The key to living untroubled lives is believing that God the Father and Jesus the Son are One.

The disciples believe in God and understand Jesus is the Son of God. If there is any doubt remaining, Jesus is making it clear that, with the same faith with which they trust in God, they can trust in Him. Remember, he is saying his farewell and is leaving no room for doubt that He and the Father are One.

In fact, in a few verses he is going to speak to the sending of the Spirit as their Comforter. This, too, the disciples are going to have to believe. Although they don’t fully grasp all that he is saying, they have their belief in the Father on which to base their belief in Jesus and His teachings.

Jesus is essentially saying, “Don’t let this unsettle you. You believe in God, don’t you? Believe in me, too” (MSG). That belief is what brings peace.

We face a similar struggle today. Many of us have heard a lot about Jesus and feel we know Him. We believe in Him, but when life doesn’t go as we hoped or when uncertainties challenge our ideologies, we realize we must return to fundamentals: who God is, what His Son has done for us, and why His Spirit is given to us. We find ourselves needing to believe all over again.

In other words, our lack of agitation, our trouble-resistant peace, is possible because of the One in whom we believe.

Can we live this way? Yes, we must. The world is aching for peace, and we are Christ’s ambassadors.

Can we live this way when facing financial hardship, a difficult medical diagnosis, or heartache in relationships? Yes, we can. We stay rooted in truth and remember what Jesus faced, and we believe in Him.

But, can we live this way during an election cycle? Absolutely, we must. It may help to keep our perspective: The wrongs of the “other” party are not worse than those done to Jesus; nor is the innocence of “my” party greater than His.

If we fix our gaze on the Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:1) and live as Him in this world, we will find ourselves living un-agitated lives, which may be the greatest way to communicate the Gospel in a fear-driven, anxious culture.