Be Still And Know

Revelation 2:8-9 These words introduce the second of the letters to the churches, sent to the church in Smyrna. There was no surprise that the first letter went to Ephesus because it was definitely seen as the most influential of the cities. However, Smyrna was a close rival. It was a fine and busy commercial centre having its own well protected port. It had been founded long ago as a Greek colony but in about 600 BC it had been largely destroyed by an invading army. Hundreds of years later it was reconstructed. What was produced was a fine city, planned with broad straight avenues and pavements. It had truly come back to life, and so it was more than appropriate that they received a message from the Lord who had passed from death to life. The Lord’s message was that he totally understood where they were coming from. He knew just how much they had suffered and how grindingly poor they were. The word that is used for ‘suffering’ is one that describes someone who is crushed under a heavy weight. And the word th