When you find yourself in a trial or difficult situation, do you see it as the hand of God. Here’s another excerpt from the book I was talking about last time, Green Leaf in Drought, by Isobel Kuhn. It’s from one of Arthur Mathews’ letters home:
John says, I FOUND myself in the isle which is called Patmos–not one jot of credit does he give to the might of Rome. A not one mention escapes him of what he must have endured before eventually “finding” himself there.
He was “found” there just as Philip was “found” at Azotus, and the Mathews’ family is “found” here. The means, circumstances, decisions that led to his finding himself there are unimportant. Faith discerns even behind the Beast the hand of God–for second causes make good disguises and baffle any eyes but the eyes of faith. So to enlarge on the why and the wherefore; to blame himself or his charges; to weigh past decisions for or against . . . is not on John’s mind; nor does he allow any wishful sightings to occupy his thoughts. A more ideal field for just such thoughts could hardly be found. So there is a great deal of comfort for us in John’s early verses of the Revelation. (Green Leaf in Drought, p. 55)
Witnesses to Hope 