It is tough sometimes to hold it together when things are not looking very hopeful. Apparently that was the case at Thessalonica when Paul wrote his second letter to the church there. We often think that the apostolic era was atypical and somehow better than our own, that those people lived in an almost ideal period, since people could still remember and reflect upon the life of Jesus from their own personal recollections, and the apostles were there to exert the authority of the Lord and reveal directly the Word of God on any given matter that arose within the church.

All of this was true, but it was still not an ideal time. People nevertheless experienced all of the heartaches and headaches that we do, and maybe even a few more because this was prior to the days of aspirin, ibuprofin, and Tylenal!

Paul told them, “To you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels…” (2 Thess. 1:7-8). Christians have many special benefits as God’s children which others outside God’s spiritual family do not have to enjoy. Among those exclusive advantages is our perspective on things, which means that we can see everything in a way that others cannot share. We can view any trouble or heartache through the looking-glass of God’s perspective, at least to the degree that he has revealed that way of seeing things to us.

Hence, we can take courage when bad things happen (as they inevitably sometimes will), and see what is coming with the Lord’s arrival as bringing about eventual deliverance from the unpleasantness of existence in this material world. It may seem bad or sad now, but eventually it will all be over and the Lord has promised, “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:5). So, you see, we can see it all from a different angle from others.

This is precisely what Paul meant when he said to these disciples that they should “rest with us,” or as Darby rendered it, “repose with us.” There is great comfort to be had in the knowledge that God will someday make all of these evils of this world go away, and that he will comfort the afflicted with judgment and justice regarding all wrongs done and evils experienced. There is therefore no reason for us to become permanently frustrated or annoyed on account of the day by day happenings that sometimes frazzle us. Help is on the way! The crooked will eventually be made straight (Isa. 42:6)!

Beyond all this there is the fact that we will then be past all the hurt and pain of this wicked and sometimes confusing world. What a happy thought! The Psalmist wrote of God’s great promises: “He will cover thee with his pinions, and under his wings shalt thou take refuge: his truth is a shield and a buckler” (Psa. 91:4).

Thus, we can take our rest in the knowledge that Jesus is coming again, and that when he comes there will be eternal rest for the weary (Rev. 14:13). Until that time, his promises will constitute our continual repose. We can and will take courage and rest in them.