At the Right Time

​“I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus. It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. It said, “Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭1:9-11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

John, the apostle, was exiled to the Island of Patmos. This island is located in the Aegean Sea, between Turkey and Greece. John had been placed there as punishment for his faith in Jesus. While there, John continued steadfastly in his practice of Christian faith. While in worship, he experienced the vision that has become the famous book of Revelation.  Something we must always keep in mind is the providential will of God that guides the lives of those that love Him.  “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:28‬ ‭NLT‬‬ God uses every detail of our lives to accomplish His will and purpose.  “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:13‬ ‭NLT‬‬ When we worship Jesus, submit our will to His, and simply trust Him, He will work all things together for His glory and our good.  John was a devout and faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Although His faith in Christ had taken him to this remote place, God was leading him all the way. There, in that most unlikely place, God revealed things to John that he had never seen before. This experience would, forever, change John and the world as we know it. This event profoundly impacted him and still profoundly impacts believers to this day. Try to imagine Christian eschatology (end time beliefs) without this book. Revelation is a crucial part of biblical understanding with regard to the end of the current world and the future of man. We need to read it for its sacred contents and ask God for wisdom in understanding and applying it.  God is at work in our lives too, no matter how bad things look in the world around us. As devout believers in Jesus Christ, God is navigating us home. Don't get disillusioned by the circumstances. Let God speak to you in the midst of the hardship and reveal Himself to you deeper than He ever has before. There is good news - God is closer to you than your feelings and circumstances make you think.  Just like John, draw close to Him in worship. Read His Word! Let Him speak to you today. He is right there. The best is yet to come.  “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:4-10‬ ‭NLT‬‬