And I said to him, "My Lord, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made then white in the blood of the Lamb." Rev. 7:14.
In the original language the word for tribulation (thlipseos) refers to more than persecution and martyrdom. It includes such concepts as "trouble," "stress," "difficult circumstances," and "suffering" in general. Many have assumed that "the great tribulation" is a single event at the last days of earth's history. But one of the heavenly elders tells John that the great multitude of Revelation 7:9 are the ones who "are coming" out of the great tribulation. Whatever that text means by the phrase, it also pointed to something going on already in John's day, something that has continued throughout Christian history.
The book of Revelation makes a lot of sense here. No one ever gets through life without stress--without "great tribulation." Yet we often do all we can to avoid it. Because it looks like an enemy to us, we assume it can only hurt us.
The fear of tribulation reminds me of something that happened at my best friend's place. He lives in a hilltop house in the Iowa countryside. From its front steps you can see for miles in three directions. One day I drove up to the house for a visit and experienced quite a surprise. Bounding out of the house to greet me was the largest animal I'd seen running free since an elephant or two crossed the road in front of my car in Africa. Spotting it out of the corner of my eye, I thought a lion was heading for me! The beast opened its mouth and let out an immense roar that scared me half out of my wits. Upon closer inspection, however, I realized that I wasn't facing a lion--it was a 250-pound dog! The beast was Ed's St. Bernard named Gabe. Gabe turned out to be the sweetest, gentlest creature you would ever want to know. His bark is a shade short of thunder, but it is all noise and no bite!
That is what stress is like. Although we may perceive it as an enemy, what really matters is how we respond to it. An automobile is useful for taking us from place to place, but out of control it is extremely dangerous. Stress out of control prematurely wears the body down and sets the stage for disease. But managed stress is actually something quite useful to our lives. Giving drive and energy to everything we do, it is the raw material that God uses to bring about His glory (John 11:2; 2 Cor. 3:18). Growth happens in our lives as we respond positively to the stresses of life. While we might prefer our existence to be more calm and peaceful, God knows that little growth and development will occur in the absence of stress and difficulty.
Lord, when my life seems out of control, I allow myself to get rushed and lose track of You. Help me to see the difficulties of life as pathways that You can use to help me grow and become more useful in Your service.
In the original language the word for tribulation (thlipseos) refers to more than persecution and martyrdom. It includes such concepts as "trouble," "stress," "difficult circumstances," and "suffering" in general. Many have assumed that "the great tribulation" is a single event at the last days of earth's history. But one of the heavenly elders tells John that the great multitude of Revelation 7:9 are the ones who "are coming" out of the great tribulation. Whatever that text means by the phrase, it also pointed to something going on already in John's day, something that has continued throughout Christian history.
The book of Revelation makes a lot of sense here. No one ever gets through life without stress--without "great tribulation." Yet we often do all we can to avoid it. Because it looks like an enemy to us, we assume it can only hurt us.
The fear of tribulation reminds me of something that happened at my best friend's place. He lives in a hilltop house in the Iowa countryside. From its front steps you can see for miles in three directions. One day I drove up to the house for a visit and experienced quite a surprise. Bounding out of the house to greet me was the largest animal I'd seen running free since an elephant or two crossed the road in front of my car in Africa. Spotting it out of the corner of my eye, I thought a lion was heading for me! The beast opened its mouth and let out an immense roar that scared me half out of my wits. Upon closer inspection, however, I realized that I wasn't facing a lion--it was a 250-pound dog! The beast was Ed's St. Bernard named Gabe. Gabe turned out to be the sweetest, gentlest creature you would ever want to know. His bark is a shade short of thunder, but it is all noise and no bite!
That is what stress is like. Although we may perceive it as an enemy, what really matters is how we respond to it. An automobile is useful for taking us from place to place, but out of control it is extremely dangerous. Stress out of control prematurely wears the body down and sets the stage for disease. But managed stress is actually something quite useful to our lives. Giving drive and energy to everything we do, it is the raw material that God uses to bring about His glory (John 11:2; 2 Cor. 3:18). Growth happens in our lives as we respond positively to the stresses of life. While we might prefer our existence to be more calm and peaceful, God knows that little growth and development will occur in the absence of stress and difficulty.
Lord, when my life seems out of control, I allow myself to get rushed and lose track of You. Help me to see the difficulties of life as pathways that You can use to help me grow and become more useful in Your service.
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