10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.
God has the ability to protect us from trials, and sometimes He does. Sometimes the trials work a larger purpose in our lives, one that is in line with God’s will. The trial might be giving you the opportunity to trust in the middle of the suffering, and that trusting is preparing you a future trial of far greater importance for which you need preparation. We need to remember that when we become Jesus-followers our lives begin to get lived for His purposes not ours. Some trials He does not protect us from. This future trial for the Jesus-followers at Philadelphia is described as being an “hour of trial”, not a day, week, month or a year. I know I get far too impatient when trials last beyond my preconceived idea of the proper length. The Israelites spent 430 years in Egypt, much of that time as slaves. They spent 40 years wandering around dying in the desert because of their disobedience. They spent 70 years in Babylon as punishment for not keeping the Years of Jubilee. And we complain because a trial lasts a few weeks or months! Now I am not minimizing the pain experienced in some of those trials. I know that some of you have lost your spouse due to the war. The pain and loneliness of that loss I don’t pretend to understand. My heart breaks as I deal daily with the costs of serving our country. The price exacted from the men and women who serve and from their families is enormous. Those who don’t serve have no idea about the costs. And yet I know that even these great trials that we face as members of the military are only temporary. I know one soldier who is deploying for their sixth time for another year. What civilian has given that amount to serve their nation, that amount of personal and family time, energy, birthdays and anniversaries, blisters and hardships? And I know some who have given nothing to preserve our freedoms and they complain. The trials that we endure are a testing: their purpose is to see our response. We have the opportunity now to practice drawing closer in the middle of the trial. For the believers at Philadelphia, there was a tsunami sized trial heading their way and they were going to be spared that particular trial. This did not mean they were going to be spared from all trials, just this particular trial.
The Arnold Journey 