In my latest book The Beauty of Tribulation I speak of the tribulation process and talk about how God uses this not for our harm but our benefit. I also go in depth about the various ways he does so and why, but I desire to shed some light on it from another angle in which I don’t hit on in the book. It is explained to us that this process sets into motion a very powerful component of our Christianity. That component is patience. Romans 5:3 tells us “And not only so, but we glory in tribulation also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience.
The patience that it is speaking of here is derived from the Greek word hypomonḗ, pronounced hoop-om-on-ay’.
Here are some variations of it defined:
Mounce’s Definition – perseverance, endurance, patience
Strongs’ Definition – cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy: - enduring, patience, patient continuance (waiting)
Thayer’s Definition –
So, what is my point in sharing that?
First of all, one reason that tribulation is allowed into our life is to build our endurance in our walk with God so that our faith is increased so that we make it into heaven. In a word it truly is a matter of our trust or a trying of it as well as our belief in God’s word. This same word hypomonḗ is also used for patience in Romans 2:7, 5:4, 8:25, 15:4 and 15:5.
Romans 8: 25 says “But if we hope for that we see not then do we with patience wait for it.” In other words we are able to endure the trials and offenses that we encounter in this life because we have a vested interest that God will be good on his return of what he has promised, regardless of what he allows us to go through. If you would permit, I would liken this to a forging process. God as the master blacksmith uses tribulation as the smith does water to temper that metal by removing the blade from the heat and plunging it into the frigid depths of a vat or barrel of water and placing it back into the fire. If that metal had a say and had feelings it would denounce such ill and seemingly horrible treatment. However, it is due to this back and forth process of experiencing these extremes in which that blade will be able to sustain the countless clashes it will undergo on the battlefield as it is smashed repeatedly against opposing blades. Of course, in time it will need to have nicks attended to and the abrasiveness of the whet stone applied to sharpen the dullness.
Is this much different than tribulation applied to the life of a believer in which if they endure they will in this life become stronger and sharper and at the end of their journey enjoy the fullness of the riches in which they had faithfully clung to?
In the end this endurance is only made possible by our trust in God. Yes, faith is a matter of belief and trust. Real faith is allowing our initial belief to drive us unto a complete trust in God no matter how hard things may get or fierce the opposition may become. Remember that James explains that belief alone is not enough because it does not move us to action. This is why the devils believe and tremble but they are forever damned as we read in James 2:19. It is our trust in God that yields obedience as trust is the bringing forth of works proving to God that we believe and therefore it produces obedience borne from a heart that loves God more than self. As I explain in my book, another necessity of tribulation is to put our flesh in check as it is by nature in opposition to the way of the Lord and is always seeking to circumvent and draw our will and soul back into bondage unto our human nature which is fully subject unto Satan in our default state.
So, another way you can view the words of Christ at the end of Luke 18:8 “I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” is so: will Christians trust God enough to endure to the end? Along with this what we can take comfort in is Romans 15:4 which tells us that the scriptures are written for our learning, so that through patience and comfort that we can have hope. Again, that patience is speaking of our endurance. We are comforted in this fact that God is the God of patience and consolation. He is the very epitome of endurance. He suffers all of our failures and stumbling along the way and is willing to forgive us as long as we will continue to trust in his love and allow him to change and temper us so that we can be with him. It is in this that we rejoice as we endure our tribulation, knowing that he has not forsaken us, given up on us or is out to destroy us but is making us stronger. Neither is he the author of our tribulation. So just as Jesus despised the shame of the cross, we too are allowed to despise the rigidness and suffering of our tribulation, but we should rejoice in the fact of what we know. We know that God will not allow it to destroy us and that through him we will overcome as we read in Romans 8:28. We should also rejoice because we are more than conquerors in the very enduring of our tribulation as Paul explains in Romans 8:37. The reason why we are more than conquerors is defined in Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
Now we have the greatest reason why we can count it joy as we endure tribulation, we know that Jesus is edifying us at every step of the way as we continue to put our trust in him. This is so, even when God is silent to our cries as he does bear long with us, read Luke 18:7, but he never forsakes us as we humble ourselves and trust in his word.
Therefore, be encouraged my brothers and sisters in Christ and hope to the end as you endure the tribulation, knowing that we do serve a God whose arms are not waxed short, read Numbers 11:23 and whose eyes are on the righteous and whose ears are attentive to our prayers as we humble ourselves before him and believe in his word in the face of the reality of our senses, read 1 Peter 3:12 ; Psalms 34:15.
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