Paul Zach sings, ‘All Will Be Well’.

When I am troubled

By the sorrows I see

When the weight of the world is heavy on me

Come close and tell me

"All will be well"

When I am weeping

Over what I have done

When my heart was asleep to the love of the Son

Savior, come tell me

"All will be well"

All will be, all will be, all will be well

You promised all will be, all will be, I will be well

Whеn I am frightened

Over what lies ahead

And I wake in the night to the tremor of dread

Draw near and tell me

That all will be well

All will be, all will be, all will be well

You promised all will be, all will be, I will be well

Oh, You hold it all in the palm of Your hands

All of our sorrow and all of our sin

You hold the world and You're letting it spin

In Your mercy, all things will be well

Oh, all manner of things will be well

All will be, all will be, all will be well

You promised all will be, all will be, I will be well

When I am nearing

The end of my days

Jesus calmed all of my fears with the sight of Your face

Let me hear You tell me

Tell me that all will be well

Today’s reading is from the Gospel of John.

John 17:11-19

And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.

John 17 gives us the longest moment of Jesus speaking directly to God the Father. What draws you most about Jesus’ prayer? Perhaps there’s something you model in your own prayer life from it?

Jesus wants to share his joy with the disciples while he lives. Is your image of Jesus one of joyfulness, or perhaps a bit on the serious side. Perhaps you could ask to grow in this awareness of the joyfulness of Jesus?

Joy is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, a gift Jesus sends to us still. Listen again to the reading, and sense the peace and joy that is there, even at such an anxious time.

John 17:11-19

And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.

God’s love is unconditional, so everything we really need is ours already. Ask Jesus now, perhaps, to send you the gift of joy. Tell him about the troubles in life that make it difficult to be joyful, praying be cheerful, in spite of difficulties.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be

World without end

Amen