"Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. "

There are things in life that are easy to accept; like the law of gravity on Earth. If I drop something it falls downward. There isn’t a time where if I drop something it will float away or fly upward. There is comfort in that. Knowing what will happen every time, I can prepare for it, and even try to catch it before it hits the floor or brace myself for the shatter that follows. Yet even still, gravity can catch me off guard and tumble me to the ground.

All through the Bible there are warnings and talk of suffering. It is much like gravity in that it is a constant and to be expected. Suffering is one of those things that catches us unaware. We know it will come our way but we are never really prepared for impact. Jesus gives the church at Smyrna a gift in His letter to them. There were no rebukes made nor corrective action given. Instead He praised the church for being rich with faith and then gave them both encouragement and insight into what lie ahead.

“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.

Be faithful even to the point of death.

He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.”

Jesus gave His beloved church the opportunity to prepare for what was to come, and in doing so offered them comfort in their afflictions: Comfort in knowing that suffering is an inescapable part of life. It happens, and is right now happening all around us. Just like gravity, it is to be expected. Yet they were not alone. Jesus came to tell them He sees them in their suffering, and He will reward their endurance. 

When you experience suffering it is not necessarily because you did something to deserve it. The trials that fell upon the church at Smyrna were not a punishment from God, but were inflicted by the devil. Even now, we experience suffering inflicted by the devil and the law of sin, but be encouraged! We don’t have to be shattered by what we suffer. Jesus sees us, and is with us. The devil, who afflicts us, his time is limited. Don’t look at suffering and get discouraged or lose heart. Turn your eyes to our Savior who sees you, knows your pain and will be with you until the end.  

-Nikki Fiedler