No 32

(Tribulation)

“In the world ye shall have tribulation.” John 16:33

As believers, do we dwell on this reality? We look upward to our heavenly Father and behold Him pure and holy; do we realize that one day we will be like Him? Will we be easily conformed to His image or will we not require much refining in the furnace of affliction? Will it be an easy thing to get rid of our corruptions and make us perfect even as our Father who is in heaven is perfect?

To appreciate the path of the true believer it is good to consider what enemy we have beneath our feet. We were once a servant of Satan and he hates losing his subjects. So, we can be sure that Satan will not let us alone; quite the contrary, he will do all he can to hinder our progress and spoil our joy. He will be always at hand with his fiery darts “because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” 1 Peter 5:8. As a result, we can expect trouble when we look down.

We can also expect trouble when we look around us because we are in an enemy’s country, a stranger and a sojourner; the world is not our friend. Fortunately for us “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.

Lastly, we must look within ourselves, into our own heart and observe what is there; sin is still within us. Even if we had no devil to tempt us, no enemies to fight us and no world to trap us, we would still find evil in our hearts. The prophet Jeremiah said “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer 17:9). Therefore we can expect trouble but we are not to despair because God promised that “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him” Psalm 91:15.