Ep. 147 — That I May Know Him + ”Will You Waste Your Island?”
Will You Waste Your Island?
Yesterday morning, I prayed with Dakota at the altar for a minute. While I was praying, I said something like “Even if you take us from all familiar, we still have You.” Or something like that, along those lines. Immediately, John on the isle of Patmos came to mind, and a thought, “Don’t waste your island.”
John the Apostle, the “disciple whom Jesus loved,” the “Revelator,” was exiled to the Greek island of Patmos, roughly 188 miles from Athens. We know few details about how he arrived there, if he was alone, etc., other than he was there “for the Word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Revelation 1:9)
History reveals that using islands to house prisoners was something the Grecians did, though Patmos is not mentioned and thought to not be a commonly used island.
Though John was “beloved,” he refers to himself as a “companion in tribulation” (#2347: oppression, affliction, tribulation, distress, straits, THAYERS). In this simple description of himself, we see pain and trouble. He has endured persecution and hardship for his faith, and he is currently somewhere he’d prefer not to be. He is exiled on and island. Possibly alone. He is away from the church. He is away from companions and fellow apostles. These were less than ideal circumstances, and certainly not desirable.
But John did not waste his island. Isolation was not a deterrent from his primary relationship. Being alone and exiled did not stop John from seeking Jesus. John shares very little about himself in the book of Revelation. He states only:
1. where he was
2. why he was there
3. what he was doing on the LORD’s day
4. the instructions he was given.
John was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day.” John used his island as place of prayer; he got “into the Spirit.” He could’ve shut himself off from God, saying, “why me?” He could’ve spiraled into self-pity, or entitlement, feeling like he deserved “something better.” But John prayed, and while he prayed, he was given a vision and instructions to write it down. “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, “What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches…”
While in isolation and loneliness, in a place he didn’t want to be, John prayed, and John wrote. John obeyed. And alone on a Greek island, John received the book of Revelation.
Revelation is the most complete picture of end-time prophecy in the Bible. It is the most beautiful portrayal of heaven ever recorded. In this writing, John was given insight and imagery of the restoration of all things.
Alone. Isolated. Exiled. But not wasted.
A few quick thoughts come to mind:
John was “beloved,” but also well acquainted with “tribulation.” We can never assume being loved by God is a “get out of jail free” card. John’s connection to Jesus was not a pass from persecution OR pain OR loneliness.
Maybe John’s exile was more privilege than punishment? While alone, John saw Jesus in his glorified form unlike anyone else ever has. John was given insight and understanding into the future, as he was in this place of loneliness. This puts John in a very “privileged” position—both in time and eternity. Not punishment, but privilege.
God will not waste our pain, but we can. God never wastes pain that is surrendered to Him…it can all be used by Him. But, we on the other hand, can choose to harbor it instead of relinquish it. We can allow pain to simmer and distill as bitterness, hostility, resentment, regret, and self-pity. If we choose this path, our pain is wasted, and God cannot use it. It becomes “poured out” on ourselves instead of poured out into nail-scarred hands and then dispensed to others.
John could’ve walked that road and he would have missed all the LORD wanted to do in that lonely place. John’s isolation; John’s island would’ve been wasted.
But John did not waste his island. John prayed. John received Revelation. John wrote.
Likely, I’ll never be sent to a deserted island. But there are seasons and stops of life where I don’t want to be. There are lonely stretches and places that feel very isolating. Will I waste them? Will I waste my island? When times in life arise, where I feel alone in a barren place, what will I do? Will I seek Jesus there? Will I get “into the Spirit” and put my lack of understanding in God’s hands? Will I allow God to reveal things there and walk in obedience to the “steps” He’s given me? Or will I be so consumed with questions and fears and uncertainties that I miss the beautiful thing God wants to do in that place? Will I fight the season so much that God cannot reveal things to me? Will I waste my island? How will I respond to an island of
٭unanswered prayers?
٭ diagnosis?
٭ divine delay?
٭ unfulfilled promises?
٭ unexpected loss?
٭ loneliness?
٭ severe trials?
and a thousand other things?
There are 6,000 Greek islands. And there are at least that many options of “places” where we can be “dropped off” in life. So many places we can be exiled and feel isolated. But we are never alone, we are never abandoned by God, and He wants to show us beautiful things in those lonely times. What happens on our island will be a product of our response.
What John wrote on his island has impacted millions over the millennia. John did not waste his island. His hands were not idle there.
I will not waste my ISLAND. This island is privilege, not punishment.
Thank you for joining me for this journey!
Go grab your Bible and your journal!
I look forward to the power of this habit in your life. This is Unedited.