Session 18

Where do you turn when everything goes wrong?

From John: A 21-Day Devotional

Religious leaders arrest Jesus and take Him to the high priest for questioning. Peter follows behind and denies knowing Jesus. After holding their own hearing, the Jews press charges against Jesus in the Roman court.

Some days alarms don’t go off, cars won’t start, and nothing goes as planned. But those mishaps pale in comparison to moments when we lose a job, lose our spouses, or lose our health to an incurable illness. Our future is unforeseen.

The scene in John 18 is an unimaginable disaster. Jesus is betrayed by one of His closest friends. He is arrested and bound by a band of officers and soldiers, then interrogated and treated like a criminal. Seemingly, everything had gone wrong.

“For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world” (John 18:37 ESV).

But in reality, everything was going according to plan. John makes it clear that Jesus was not a victim of circumstance, but in complete control. Jesus foretold these events. He turned himself over to them “knowing all that would happen to him” (John 18:4), and He declared to Pilate, “‘For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world’” (John 18:37 ESV). How could Jesus continue to submit to the situation? He trusted in God’s perfect plan.

In the same way Jesus trusted in the goodness of the Father despite His circumstances, we can trust that God is in complete control over every aspect of our lives. Even when events are outside of our control, we can rest assured that God is graciously orchestrating everything for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28). Today, thank God for His goodness and His authority over all circumstances. Ask Him to help you remember this truth in the face of any difficulty.

• What can you learn about Jesus from this chapter?
• How does knowing God is in control of all things change how you see the difficulties in your own life?