“Four Strategies for Coping with Tribulation”
Revelation 7:13-14

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Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
All Saints’ Day (Transferred)—November 7, 2021

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Have you ever had one of those days?  One of those days when Murphy’s Law — “Whatever can go wrong will” — seems to be in full force?  Here are some amusing corollaries to Murphy’s Law:

l Whichever line you chose, the other line always moves faster.

l Any item you purchase will later be found on sale for less.

l Anything requiring a repairman will be a problem no one’s ever quite seen before.

l The chances of rain on your only day to mow the lawn are directly proportional to the height of your grass.

In today’s Epistle Reading from Revelation, John says, “I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. . .

“Then one of the elders asked me, ‘These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?’  I answered, ‘Sir, you know.’  And he said, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’”

What is the “great tribulation?”  Some preachers claim that the great tribulation will be sometime far off in the future.  However, in the Lutheran Church WE believe that the Bible’s prophecies about the end times ARE BEING FULFILLED right NOW, in today’s world events.  For, John says, “Dear children, this IS the last hour,” Peter declares, “the end of all things is at hand,” and James tells us, “the Judge is standing at the door!”  This IS the last hour, the end times and the great tribulation are not far off in the future—we are in it right now!

What does the great tribulation consist of?  In a word: LIFE, your everyday life in this troubled, sinful world.  As Paul says in Acts, “We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”  The great tribulation is the accumulation of a lifetime of troubles, irritations, frustrations, like the little things we joke about in Murphy’s Law, but also the more serious problems, and sufferings, and sorrows of life in this world.                  What are some of the tribulations YOU have experienced or are experiencing in YOUR life?  Add ‘em all up and you’ve got the great tribulation.

You are invited to follow along on the last pages of the bulletin as we look at “Four Strategies for Coping with Tribulation.”

Strategy #1) Do the Laundry

I once saw on TV a very sad case of a woman who feels overwhelming, crushing guilt about being a few minutes late for work one day.  She feels so guilty because that day happened to be September 11, 2001, and her job was at the Pentagon.  There’s nothing she could have done to stop it, and yet she feels guilty that she wasn’t there to help.

Maybe you’ve had a similar experience when things have gone wrong in your life.  When bad things happen, our first reaction is to ask “Why?” and the answer we often come up with is, “God must be punishing me for something.”  That’s when it’s time to do the laundry.

“These are they who . . . have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”  This spiritual cleansing comes through repenting and trusting in Jesus Christ as your Savior.  John says, “The blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.”  Through faith in Christ you are completely cleansed of every sin; in God’s eyes you are washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb.

That means when bad things happen in your life, it cannot possibly be a punishment from God.  Isaiah says, “HE was pierced for our transgressions, HE was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon HIM.”  When bad things happen in your life it cannot possibly be a punishment from God, BECAUSE every bit of punishment has already been suffered for you, in your place, by God’s own Son.  Remember the wonderful assurance of Psalm 103: “He does NOT treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. . .  as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” 

The tribulations of life are a lot easier to bear when you do the laundry, when you don’t have to wonder if it’s a punishment from God, because you trust in Jesus Christ for forgiveness.  When the question “Why?” comes up in your mind, you can completely eliminate any idea that God is punishing you—because you’ve done the laundry, and in God’s eyes you are cleansed of every sin, washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb.

Strategy #2) Look for God’s Plan

Remember how Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, but when they later went to Egypt to find food during a famine they discovered that Joseph had actually become the Egyptian prime minister?  Joseph’s brothers expected him to take revenge, but he told them: “You intended for evil, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”  Joseph was looking for God’s plan.  He saw the good that came from him being sold into slavery: now was in a position to save his family from famine.

Paul says in Romans, “We know that God works all things together for the good of those who love him.”  Looking for God’s plan is much more than just putting on a happy face and finding a silver lining in every cloud.  Looking for God’s plan means trusting that God is actively in control and he is working all things, even bad things, for your ultimate good.  God does NOT cause bad things to happen to you, but when they do come your way, he promises to somehow use even bad things for the good.  So, when tribulations come your way the question to ask is not “Why is God punishing me?” but rather, “What good can God bring even out of this?”

Strategy #3) Talk It Over

You know from experience how talking your troubles over with someone—a loved one, a friend, a counselor, a pastor—can relieve your burden and be a big help.  And Paul says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  So, when you face tribulations in your life, talk it over in prayer with God himself.  He promises in Psalm 50, “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

And make it a two-way conversation: You talking to God in prayer, and God talking to you in his Word and Sacraments.  In his Word and Sacraments you will find reassurance of his love and forgiveness, comfort, strength, hope, and often practical guidance for the problems you face. 

Strategy #4) Adjust the Focus

Paul says in 2nd Corinthians, “Our troubles are light and momentary, preparing us for an incomparable, eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 

Instead of focusing on the tribulations of this world, Scripture urges us to focus on the joy and bliss of the world to come.  As Paul says in Philippians, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal, the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Another question to ask when tribulations come your way is, “Why is the devil working overtime?  What is HE trying to THWART?”  I remember some years ago at a previous church everything was going wrong with preparations for Vacation Bible School.  Teachers were dropping out, the materials were late, lots of conflicting activities were arising for that week.  But, then it hit me, “Why is the devil working overtime against our VBS this year?”

I realized the devil must know something I was not aware of: our VBS that year had wonderful potential!  From then on every problem just inspired me, and, sure enough, our VBS that year was indeed that congregation’s best, most successful ever.  So, when problems come your way, turn it around and ask yourself, “What good thing is the devil fighting against?  What is the old evil foe trying to thwart?”

“These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.

“Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

There are many tribulations in this world for which there IS only one comfort: the hope of heaven.  In Scripture this hope is always held out before us as a consolation, to soothe our pain and ease our grief.  “In this world you will have trouble,” Jesus said.  “But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

You can’t change the world, you can’t always make things right.  But, God can, and he will.  We are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, in which there will be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain.  As Paul says in Romans, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us.”

Those are “Four Strategies for Coping with Tribulation:”

l  Do the Laundry: “These are they who . . . have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” 

l  Look for God’s Plan: “We know that God works all things together for the good of those who love him.”

l Talk It Over: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

l  Adjust the Focus: “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”