Endurance Through Suffering

I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

                                                            Revelation 1:9

               John speaks here of how he is our brother in Christ, our partner in tribulation and trials, our partner and brother in the kingdom of God, and our partner in the patient endurance that Jesus gives us. Patient endurance, endurance that is not being quick to speak or quick to act. But endurance that prayerfully takes it time to endure whatever situation it finds itself in. Endurance is not something that I should go through quickly and thoughtlessly, but endurance is something I should go through with prayer and patience. Not wanting the results of my endurance right away, but waiting on the Lord to see what He results with my patient endurance. And in such a “give me now” society I find myself fighting to have this mentality. Endurance through trials and hard times can be one of the best growing times in my life. Endurance through the desert times when I feel like God isn’t there, when I feel like He should be doing something different in my life, or that I just don’t feel Him. Even through those times He is working on me to make me more like Him. I mean think about Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Hannah, even Jesus, and many more people in the bible having to have patient endurance to wait on what God had for them. So I must wake up every morning, deciding to trust Him, and have patient endurance, knowing that He is faithful and will prove Himself worthy of all my trust. For He knows my heart, my desires, and my needs.

I find it interesting as well how John says he is on the island of Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. So obviously God led him there for His reasoning. And John, as far as we see here, was willing and open to going where God led him. I want to find myself in a spot with the Lord where I always have a willing heart to go where He leads me, and through prayer and communing with Him I know He can bring me to that place, by His grace.

Application- when I find myself enduring by my own strength and going at it too quickly, which is a lot! To slow down and ask God to give me patient endurance, as I prayerfully become more like Him.