Overcome - John 16:17-33

Take some time to quiet your heart to spend time with God.

Before reading this passage and trying to understand it, make sure you read The Work of the Holy Spirit, because many things between the two passages are connected. In verses 17 and 18, the disciples are confused because previously in verse 10, Jesus is talking about the ascension to heaven, but in verse 16, He’s talking about the crucifixion, which are to different things that sounds the same at that time to the disciples.

From verses 19 to 22, Jesus is telling the disciples of the rejoice that will come after the grief of the crucifixion. In verse 22, Jesus says, “Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” This verse is implying that the joy of God’s redemption can’t be taken away by anything or anyone. In verses 23 and 24, Christ is saying how if any of them pray to the Father in Christ’s name, the Father will grant it to them, and how the disciples have not been praying as much as they should be. At the end of verse 24, it says, “Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” This is saying that without asking God for help, the joy in Him won’t be complete because only in through Christ could our joy ever be anywhere close to complete. Our youth group motto is that prayer is the primary work of God’s people. Are you setting prayer as a priority not only in your spiritual life, but in life in general? Reflect and pray that it would be.




To continue on, verses 25 through 30 show that because the disciples have loved and followed Jesus, the Father (regarding to the Trinity in this particular sentence) loves them.

Then, in verse 32, Christ says, “You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.” Throughout the life of Jesus, Father God has been with Him every step of the way, and as sons and daughters of God, He will be with us every step of the way as well. However, that doesn’t mean that we won’t have to endure hardships. In the next verse, he says that “In this world you will have trouble.” As disciples of God, He will be with us, but we will also have the task of facing hardships and overcoming them with God’s power.

Take some time now to reflect on the passage and what it means to overcome hardships with God’s glory and power. Then, spend some time in prayer and ask God to give you whatever you need in order to make that happen.