28th September-4th October 2026
Let’s be honest, few of us would choose difficult seasons. We would rather avoid suffering, disappointment, uncertainty and loss. Yet these experiences are part of living in a fallen world and are unavoidable.
The good news of the gospel that has impacted many of our lives is not that those who follow Jesus are spared every difficult season, it is that Jesus is present with us and remains faithful through them. There is something about presence that really does make a difference.
The church in Smyrna was experiencing intense suffering because they belonged to Jesus. They faced poverty, slander, imprisonment and even the possibility of death. Jesus did not promise that their suffering would immediately end. Instead, he reminded them who he was, assured them that he knew what they were facing and called them to remain faithful.
Our circumstances are very different from theirs and for many others in the world today, as the Open Doors video reminded us. Yet their example challenges us to consider if our trust in Jesus depends upon life remaining comfortable.
Suffering is never easy and simply going through it does not automatically make our faith stronger. Yet, as we bring our pain honestly to Jesus, he can use difficult seasons to refine our faith, deepen our dependence upon him and help us grow into the people he wants us to be.
Written by David Mairs
MONDAY
The First and the Last
To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.
Revelation 2:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus introduces himself as the First and the Last, the one who died and rose again. These were exactly the words the suffering believers in Smyrna needed to hear. Their circumstances, however painful, did not define their story or determine their future. Jesus was with them in their suffering and would remain faithful whatever lay ahead.
There are times when one difficulty begins to dominate everything in our lives. Jesus invites us to see our circumstances within the greater reality and understanding of who he is. We may not understand what is happening, but we can trust the one who has overcome death and holds our future securely because he never changes.
Pause and Reflect
What difference does it make to remember that Jesus is the First and the Last?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, when my circumstances feel overwhelming, remind me that they are not in control of my story. You are! Help me to trust Jesus, the one who understands suffering, has overcome death and holds my future securely. Amen.
TUESDAY
Jesus Knows
I know your afflictions and your poverty, yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
Revelation 2:9
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:14–16
The first words Jesus speaks about the suffering of the church in Smyrna are deeply personal: “I know.” I love this, Jesus knows all about our lives and is never absent.
One of the hardest parts of suffering can be feeling that no one truly understands. Others may care deeply, but they cannot always enter fully into what we are experiencing. Jesus knows our circumstances and the effect they have upon us. He knows the questions we are afraid to ask, the fears we rarely express and the weariness we try to hide.
Knowing that Jesus sees us does not answer every question or immediately change our circumstances. It reminds us that we are never forgotten and never alone.
Pause and Reflect
What do you need to bring honestly to Jesus today?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you that nothing I experience is hidden from you. Help me to come to you without pretence and to trust that you understand. When I feel alone or forgotten, remind me that Jesus knows and remains close to me. Amen.
WEDNESDAY
Poor, Yet Rich
I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
Revelation 2:9
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16–18
The church in Smyrna appeared poor and powerless, yet Jesus declared that they were rich. The world saw what they lacked; Jesus saw what they possessed. They belonged to him and had a hope that suffering and death could not take away.
It is easy to measure life by possessions, success, health or security. These things are not necessarily wrong, but they cannot provide lasting hope. Difficult seasons can refine our understanding of what is truly valuable. When other things are shaken, we discover again the riches we have in Jesus: forgiveness, grace, belonging and the hope of eternal life.
Pause and Reflect
What spiritual riches has God given you through Jesus?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, forgive me when I measure my life by what I possess or achieve. Thank you for the forgiveness, grace and hope you have given me through Jesus. Help me to value what matters eternally. Amen.
THURSDAY
Faith Refined
I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
Revelation 2:9–10
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.
1 Peter 1:6–7
Jesus did not pretend that what the church in Smyrna faced would be easy, nor did he promise to remove every difficulty.
That can be hard for us to hear. We naturally pray for suffering to end and circumstances to change. Yet sometimes God’s answer is not immediate escape but sustaining grace.
We would never choose suffering yet, even there, God can meet us, sustain us and teach us to depend more deeply upon Jesus. We may only recognise that growth later, when we look back and see how he carried, strengthened and refined us.
Pause and Reflect
What might God be refining within you through your present circumstances?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to trust you when I cannot see what you are doing. Use what I am experiencing to refine my faith and deepen my dependence upon Jesus. Give me the grace and strength I need today. Amen.
FRIDAY
Do Not Be Afraid
Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
Revelation 2:10
But now, this is what the Lord says, he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead.
Isaiah 43:1–3
Jesus tells the church in Smyrna not to be afraid. He does not say there is nothing frightening ahead. Instead, he invites them to face it with confidence in him.
Christian courage is not the absence of fear. It is choosing to trust Jesus in the presence of fear.
We often try to carry tomorrow’s burdens with today’s strength. Yet Jesus promises to be present and to provide the grace we need when tomorrow comes. Fear grows when we imagine that everything depends upon us. Faith grows as we remember that Jesus will remain with us, whatever lies ahead.
Pause and Reflect
What future concern do you need to place into the hands of Jesus?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, forgive me for trying to carry tomorrow’s burdens today. Help me to trust that Jesus will be present in whatever lies ahead. Give me courage for today and grace to leave the future in your hands. Amen.
SATURDAY
Faithful to the End
Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
Revelation 2:10
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
James 1:12
Jesus calls the church in Smyrna to remain faithful, even to the point of death. Yet he is not asking them to do something he was unwilling to do himself. Jesus had already remained faithful through suffering and death.
Their faithfulness would not depend simply upon their own determination. It would come from keeping their eyes fixed upon Jesus and relying upon his strength. Faithfulness is still formed through the choices we make each day. It grows as we continue to pray when answers are delayed, obey when it would be easier to compromise and trust when the way ahead is unclear.
Pause and Reflect
Where is Jesus asking you to remain faithful today?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, when my faith feels weak or I become weary, help me to keep my eyes fixed upon Jesus. Strengthen me to obey when it is costly and to trust when the way ahead is unclear. Amen.
SUNDAY
Safe Forever
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.
Revelation 2:11
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Revelation 21:1–4
The letter to the church in Smyrna ends with the promise that those who are victorious will not be harmed by the second death. Some of the believers in Smyrna faced the possibility of dying because they belonged to Jesus. They needed to know that death would not be the end of their story.
The Christian hope is not that we will avoid every painful experience. It is that nothing, not suffering, loss or even death, can ever separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!
One day suffering will end, tears will be wiped away and death will be no more. Until then, we remain faithful because Jesus is faithful and our future with him is secure.
Pause and Reflect
How does the promise of eternal life speak into what you are facing today?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you that suffering, loss and death will not have the final word. Continue to grow and refine my faith. Keep me close to Jesus and help me to remain faithful, knowing that my future with him is secure. Amen.