I, John, your brother and companion in the affliction and kingdom and patient endurance which is in Jesus, came to be on the island which is called Patmos, on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Rev. 1:9.
I was born on the upper east side of Manhattan when the area was poor. I grew up in a nearby suburb and attended church in Manhattan. If you can drive in New York City, I always thought, you can do it anywhere. I found it rather amusing to have people visit from other parts of the country and have them frozen in horror as I drove at breakneck pace, weaving in and out of traffic. I was sure that my driving abilities were superior to anyone who had learned how to drive in less interesting parts of the world.
But as I grew older God provided me with opportunities to travel and find out that my confidence as a driver rested on fairly limited experience. While the drivers in New York City are fast and often reckless, they don't hold a candle to those of Paris or Rome. And for sheer audacity, no one can compare with the cab drivers of Caracas, Venezuela!
But for me the most challenging places to operate a car in are the former British countries of the Southern Hemisphere, such as Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Not only do people drive on the left there, but the driver sits in the right-hand seat and shifts gears with the left hand! And imagine figuring out how to drive on the left and then discovering the marvelous British legacy known as the roundabout. Instead of having everyone stop at an intersection, in such countries the cars participate in a free-for-all merry-go-round that sucks you in and spits you out somewhere else, sometimes in the right direction! While I thought driving in these places was great fun, I made plenty of foolish moves along the way, humbling my New York confidence.
When John received the vision on Patmos, he was not in his usual environment. He was far away from the comfortable routines of his past. And the changes in his life included experiences he called "affliction." But as difficult as life on Patmos was for him, he knew that God had brought him there.
When life is routine it is easy to feel as if we are in control, as if we can handle whatever may come. Quickly we may lose our sense of need for God. So sometimes God moves us away from our usual round of activities and puts us in places where we have to depend more fully on Him. Approaching the end of time, followers of God will find themselves placed in new and challenging circumstances. As a result they will come to rely on Him more consistently and completely than ever before.
Lord, help me to remember You in the prosperous and easy times. Bring me experiences that will prepare me for whatever may come, yet keep me humble in my need for You.
I was born on the upper east side of Manhattan when the area was poor. I grew up in a nearby suburb and attended church in Manhattan. If you can drive in New York City, I always thought, you can do it anywhere. I found it rather amusing to have people visit from other parts of the country and have them frozen in horror as I drove at breakneck pace, weaving in and out of traffic. I was sure that my driving abilities were superior to anyone who had learned how to drive in less interesting parts of the world.
But as I grew older God provided me with opportunities to travel and find out that my confidence as a driver rested on fairly limited experience. While the drivers in New York City are fast and often reckless, they don't hold a candle to those of Paris or Rome. And for sheer audacity, no one can compare with the cab drivers of Caracas, Venezuela!
But for me the most challenging places to operate a car in are the former British countries of the Southern Hemisphere, such as Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Not only do people drive on the left there, but the driver sits in the right-hand seat and shifts gears with the left hand! And imagine figuring out how to drive on the left and then discovering the marvelous British legacy known as the roundabout. Instead of having everyone stop at an intersection, in such countries the cars participate in a free-for-all merry-go-round that sucks you in and spits you out somewhere else, sometimes in the right direction! While I thought driving in these places was great fun, I made plenty of foolish moves along the way, humbling my New York confidence.
When John received the vision on Patmos, he was not in his usual environment. He was far away from the comfortable routines of his past. And the changes in his life included experiences he called "affliction." But as difficult as life on Patmos was for him, he knew that God had brought him there.
When life is routine it is easy to feel as if we are in control, as if we can handle whatever may come. Quickly we may lose our sense of need for God. So sometimes God moves us away from our usual round of activities and puts us in places where we have to depend more fully on Him. Approaching the end of time, followers of God will find themselves placed in new and challenging circumstances. As a result they will come to rely on Him more consistently and completely than ever before.
Lord, help me to remember You in the prosperous and easy times. Bring me experiences that will prepare me for whatever may come, yet keep me humble in my need for You.
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