Faith Through Affliction: Beautiful Truths for Hard Times

In the Field Audio Bible: 03:55
The late afternoon sun slants through the narrow window of Paul's rented room in Corinth, casting amber light across the worn wooden table where parchment, ink pot, and reed pen rest. You sit across from the apostle, watching as he dips the pen into the dark ink. A mixture of soot, gum arabic, and water that fills the small space with its acrid, earthy scent. His hands calloused from years of tent making and scarred from beatings, move with surprising gentleness as he sets the pen down and looks up at you. Do you know what it feels like? Paul begins, his voice carrying the weight of a recent memory. To be torn away from people you love, not by choice, but by violence. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 06:14
You lean forward, the rough-hewn bench beneath you creaking slightly. Through the window behind Paul, you can hear the activity of Corinth's marketplace. Merchants hawking their wares, the bleeding of goats, the rhythmic clang of a blacksmith's hammer. But here, in this modest room that smells of wool, ink, and olive oil lamp, the world narrows to just the two of you. I've seen you write about the Thessalonians before, you say carefully. You called them your glory and joy, but there's something different in your voice now. Something almost painful. Paul nods slowly, his dark eyes reflecting both sorrow and fierce affection. He rises from his seat, his woolen tunic rustling as he moves to the window. We were only there a short time. Three Sabbaths, perhaps a few weeks more. Every Sabbath, we reasoned with them from the scriptures, showing how the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. Paul's face brightens with the memory. And some believed. Jews, yes, but also God-fearing Greeks. Many of them. And the women? The prominent women of the city who had everything to lose. They believed, friend. They truly believed. But the opposition came quickly. You observe. Like a summer storm over the Aegean, Paul confirms, returning to his seat. The Jews who refused to believe were consumed with jealousy. They rounded up troublemakers, formed a mob, and started a riot. They went to Jason's house. Dear Jason, who had welcomed us, given us shelter. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 08:32
You watch as Paul's jaw tightens. They dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, accused them of defying Caesar's decrees, saying there's another king, Jesus. In a Roman colony, such accusations could mean death. So you had to leave, you say quietly, in the night, like a thief, though it was neither cowardice nor choice. The believers insisted. They paid Jason's bond and sent us away to Berea under cover of darkness. For their safety, for the sake of the gospel. He leans back. That's when I understood what it meant to be orphaned from them, torn away for a short time, in person, not in heart. But surely you knew you had done the right thing, you ask. Paul's eyes meet yours with intensity. Knowing the right thing and feeling the pain of it are not mutually exclusive. Yes, we had to go, but that doesn't erase the ache of unfinished work, of spiritual children left vulnerable, of a church so new it barely had time to take root. Paul reaches for the parchment. Do you know what kept me awake at night? The question of whether they would stand? They had turned from idols to serve the living God. Do you understand what that meant? In Thessalonica, the city is filled with temples, the imperial cult, shrines to Egyptian gods, altars to Zeus on every corner. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 10:30
You can almost smell it. That cloying mixture of burning fat and spices that marks pagan worship. These new believers had walked away from all of that. From the social connections, the business relationships, the family expectations. And you worried they wouldn't be able to sustain it, you say. Exactly. I worried that Satan would exploit their isolation, their suffering, their newness in the faith. I worried that our labor would prove to be in vain. Is that why you tried to return? You ask. A rueful smile crosses Paul's face. Once and again. I, Paul, wanted to come. I personally, emphatically wanted to be there with them again. But Satan hindered us. That must have been excruciating, you say. It was. That's why I couldn't bear it any longer. The not knowing was worse than any hardship. So when we were in Athens and Timothy caught up with us, we made a decision. He moves to a small chest and pulls out a worn traveling cloak. Timothy. Young Timothy, who's like a son to me. I sent him back. Back to Thessalonica to strengthen and encourage them. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 12:11
That must have been difficult, you say. It was. We were left alone in Athens. But what's personal comfort compared to the welfare of a church? He returns to his seat, and there's new energy in his movements. And then, oh friend, and then Timothy returned with news. You lean in. Good news? The best news. Paul's face transforms, joy breaking through like sun through storm clouds. They are standing firm. They remember us with affection. They long to see us as much as we long to see them. Despite everything Satan threw at them, they are holding fast to the faith. He picks up the pen, dipping it with renewed purpose. That's why I'm writing to them now. Timothy brought me news of their faith and love, and it is as though I can breathe again. As though life has returned to these old bones. So your labor wasn't in vain. You confirmed? No. But here's what I want you to understand. Affliction is not a sign that God has abandoned us. When we were with them, we kept telling them, we're going to face affliction. This is coming. And it happened exactly as we said. But that affliction doesn't mean their faith is false. It means it's real and threatening to the powers of darkness. So suffering is expected? You ask? Not just expected, appointed. We are destined for this. Not because God is cruel, but because following Christ means swimming against the current of empire, culture, and spiritual darkness. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 14:21
Paul gestures toward the window. Out there? Rome promises peace through military might. The temples promise prosperity through sacrifices. And here we come, proclaiming that true peace comes through a crucified carpenter who rose from the dead and will return as king. That does sound like a threat to the established order, you affirm. Exactly. The remarkable thing isn't that the Thessalonians faced persecution. The remarkable thing is that they stood firm through it. You watch as Paul returns to his writing. What will you tell them? You ask? The truth? That when Timothy brought news of their faith, it encouraged us in all our distress. That their standing firm gives us life, that we are praying night and day, most earnestly beyond all measure, that we might see them again and supply what's lacking in their faith. What's lacking? You ask, surprised. Paul looks up. Standing firm doesn't mean being complete. They have genuine tested faith, but they need to grow in understanding, and love, and holiness. That's the nature of discipleship. He dips his pen again. I'm praying that the Lord will make their love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else. Because love isn't static. It must grow, expand, overflow. Like a spring that keeps bubbling up, you suggest? Yes, exactly. And that overflowing love strengthens their hearts. It makes them blameless in holiness before God when Jesus comes with all his holy ones. Paul, you say, finally, what would you say to someone who's been torn away from people they love? Who wants to return but can't? 

In the Field Audio Bible: 16:40
Paul sets down his pen with compassion. First, that the pain is real and valid. Don't spiritualize it away. I couldn't bear it any longer. That's not weakness. It's love. Second, Satan will hinder our plans, but he cannot hinder God's purposes. We were prevented from returning, but God sent Timothy. Third, pray. Pray night and day earnestly. Don't just mention people in passing. Wrestle in prayer for them. Fourth, trust that God is at work even when you can't see it. I was terrified my labor was in vain, that God was strengthening them all along. And fifth, remember that affliction is not abandonment. When those you love face trials, it means they're living out their faith and a world hostile to the gospel. Outside, the sun is sinking lower, shifting from amber to gold. One more question, you say. Why is love so central? Paul smiles. Because love is what makes faith visible and holiness sustainable. You can have correct doctrine without love, and it's just noise. But when love increases and overflows, that's when hearts are truly strengthened. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 18:22
Paul picks up the parchment and reads, But we, brothers and sisters, when we were orphaned from you for a short time, in person, not in heart, we were all the more eager with great desire to see your face, for we wanted to come to you. I, Paul, again and again, but Satan hindered us. For who is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy. Paul's voice catches slightly. They are not just converts, they are my hope, my joy, my crown. When Christ returns, they will be there as evidence of God's grace working through my ministry. He continues. We sent Timothy to establish you and exhort you concerning your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. You see, I'm being completely honest. I'm telling them I couldn't take it anymore. I had to know. So I sent Timothy, even though it meant being alone, because your welfare was more important than my comfort. That's vulnerable, you observe. Ministry requires vulnerability. If I only show them my strengths, how will they learn to navigate their weaknesses? Paul continues. For fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you, and our labor would be in vain. But now that Timothy has come to us from you and has brought us good news of your faith and love, for this reason, in all our distress and affliction, we were comforted about you through your faith. For now, we live if you stand firm in the Lord. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 20:44
He sets down the parchment. Now we live. In the midst of our own distress here in Corinth, the news of their faithfulness is like water in the desert. So the relationship goes both ways. You confirm? Always. That's the beauty of the body of Christ. We are connected, interdependent. Their faith encourages mine, my prayers support theirs. Paul writes the next lines with care. For what thanksgiving can we render to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God? As we pray most earnestly, night and day, that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith. Will you get to see them again? You ask. Paul's expression grows distant. I don't know. I pray so. But whether I do or not, I'm trusting that God will supply what they need. My job is to pray, to write, to send what help I can. God's job is to accomplish his purposes. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 22:09
Now, let's take a moment to quiet our hearts and listen to the word itself. Let these words sink deep into your spirit, bringing comfort, conviction, and encouragement. Whether you are sitting in a quiet place or out in the world, allow scripture to meet you right where you are. I hope you have your favorite cup of tea or coffee. Sit back, relax, and let's step into the sacred text of the First Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians 3. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 23:06

First Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians 3 (NRSV):

 1 Therefore, when we could bear it no longer, we decided to be left alone in Athens 

 2 and sent Timothy, our brother and God's co-worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you for the sake of your faith, 

 3 so that no one would be shaken by these persecutions. Indeed, you yourselves know that this is what we are destined for. 

 4 In fact, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we were to suffer persecution. So it turned out, as you know. 

 5 For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that somehow the tempter had tempted you and that our labor had been in vain. 

 6 But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought us the good news of your faith and love. He has told us also that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, just as we long to see you. 

 7 For this reason, brothers and sisters, during all our distress and persecution we have been encouraged about you through your faith. 

 8 For now we live, if you continue to stand firm in the Lord. 

 9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? 

10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith. 

11 Now may our God and Father Himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. 

12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. 

13 And may He so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 25:29
The light outside has faded to deep purple, and Paul lights another lamp, the flame casting dancing shadows across the whitewashed walls. The sounds drifting through the window have changed—less commerce, more domestic life. You hear a mother calling her children inside, the clatter of clay pots being washed, the low murmur of families gathering for their evening meal. The smell of lentil stew and fresh bread mingles with the lingering scent of ink and parchment in Paul's modest room. Now listen to this, Paul says, his voice taking on the cadence of benediction, the tone shifting from conversation to prayer. He holds the parchment reverently, and you notice how his weathered hands tremble slightly, not from age or weakness, but from the weight of what he's about to speak. Now may our God and Father Himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts' blameless and holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. The words hang in the air, weighted with prayer and prophecy. You feel them settle over you like a blessing, like the warmth of the lamplight pushing back the gathering darkness outside. Through the window, the evening star appears bright and steady against the deepening sky. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 27:29
You are asking God to do what you cannot. You say quietly, understanding dawning. Yes. Paul sets the parchment down with deliberate care, his fingers lingering on the Greek letters still drying in the lamplight. Because ultimately, it's not my work that establishes their hearts. It's the Lord's. I can teach, encourage, pray, write, but only he can make their love increase and overflow like a spring that never runs dry. My role is to cooperate with what he's already doing, to be his instrument, his pen in human form. Paul looks at you intently, and in the flickering light, you see both the exhaustion of his labors and the fire that never seemed to diminish. Do you see now why this chapter matters? It's about Christian community, spiritual warfare, perseverance, prayer, and the hope of Christ's return. All woven together like threads in a tapestry. Pull one thread, and the whole picture changes. And it's about what to do when you can't be where you want to be. You add, thinking of your own loved ones, your own separations. Exactly. Paul nods with satisfaction, like a teacher whose student has finally grasped a difficult concept. You pray, you send help, you write, you trust God's faithfulness even when you cannot see his hand. You hold fast to the hope that whether you are reunited in this life or in the next, you will stand together before Christ when he comes. That reunion is not a question of if, but when. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 29:39
Paul rolls up the parchment carefully. It's crackling softly as he secures it with a leather cord. Tomorrow, I will continue with chapter four. But for now, this is what they need to hear: that they are loved, that they are remembered, that they're Faithfulness matters, and that God is at work in them even when they cannot see it or feel it. You stand, stretching muscles stiff from sitting on the hard bench. Your tunic, simple undyed wool like Paul's, rustles as you move. Through the window, the first stars are appearing one by one, like oil lamps being lit across the heavens. Thank you, you say to Paul, and you mean it with your whole heart for letting me sit with you through this, for helping me understand what it means to love a church from a distance. Paul stands, his joints creaking slightly, a reminder that he's not a young man anymore, that the beatings and stonings and shipwrecks have taken their toll. He places a hand on your shoulder, and you feel the calluses from his temp making, the strength still present despite his sufferings. This is how it works, Fred. One person teaches another, who teaches another, who teaches another. I taught the Thessalonians, now I'm teaching you. Someday you will teach others. The gospel spreads not through grand pronouncements, from marble columns, but through these quiet moments, ink and parchment, lamplight and prayer, one heart pouring into another. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 31:47
Paul walks you to the door, and you step together into the narrow corridor. The building is typical for Corinth's working-class quarter, multiple families sharing a common courtyard, stone stairs worn smooth by countless feet, the smell of cooking fires, and humanity pressed close together. Outside, the cool evening air carries the salt tang of the nearby harbor, where ships from across the empire bob at anchor, their masts silhouetted against the twilight sky. As you step into the cobblestone street, Paul calls after you, his voice carrying clearly in the evening stillness. Remember, distance cannot break fellowship. Affliction is not abandonment. And Christ is coming back for his people. Hold fast to that truth like a sailor holds fast to the mast in a storm. You turn back to see him silhouetted in the doorway, lamplight glowing behind him like a halo, casting his shadow long across the threshold. You have just witnessed something profound. Not just the writing of a letter, but the pouring out of a pastor's heart. Not just words scratched onto parchment, but a living demonstration of what it means to love the church. To persevere in prayer when answers seem slow in coming. To trust God's faithfulness, even when circumstances scream otherwise. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 33:33
The street is quieter now, the day's energy giving way to the evening's peace. A few oil lamps flicker in the windows. Somewhere nearby, a baby cries and is quickly soothed. A dog barks once and falls silent. The massive bulk of the Acrocorinth, the towering citadel that dominates the city, looms dark against the star-scattered sky. Its temple to Aphrodite, a reminder of the pagan world that surrounds this tiny community of believers. As you make your way through Corinth's narrow streets, the cobblestones still warm beneath your sandal feet from the day's sun. You carry with you the smell of ink, that acrid mixture of soot and gum that will forever remind you of this evening. You carry the sound of Paul's voice, sometimes passionate, sometimes tender, always authentic. You carry the weight of his words, settling into your heart like seeds planted in good soil. You understand now, in a way you did not before, what it means to be a part of Christ's body, to be so connected to others that their joy seems to be your joy. Their suffering becomes your suffering. Their standing firm in the face of persecution literally gives you life. It is reality. As tangible as the stones beneath your feet, as real as the stars wheeling overhead. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 35:23
Somewhere out there, beyond the dark waters of the Aegean, beyond the Via Ignatia, with its Roman milestones marking the distance. The Thessalonians are gathering. In Jason's house, perhaps, or in the home of one of the believing women. They are lighting their own lamps as the darkness deepens. They are breaking bread, simple barley loaves and watered wine, transformed by prayer into something sacred. They are singing psalms, their voices rising in the night. They are encouraging one another to stand firm, to hold fast, to not grow weary in doing good. They do not yet know that Timothy has returned with good news. They do not yet know that even now, an immodest room in Corinth, Paul is writing to them with tears of joy staining his weathered cheeks. They do not yet know that their faithfulness, their simply costly, daily choice to follow Christ despite the threats of persecution has brought comfort and joy and life itself to their spiritual father. But they will know, in a few weeks, perhaps a month, the letter will arrive. Carried by faithful hands, maybe Silas, maybe Timothy, maybe another trusted brother, across hundreds of miles of land and sea. Carried past Roman checkpoints and through bandit-infested mountain passes. Carried by the same care, one would carry a newborn child, because these words are life-giving, spirit-breathed, eternal. It will be read aloud in their gathering, probably on the Lord's day when they come together to break bread and remember his resurrection. And when the reader unfurls the parchment and begins to speak, Paul, Silas, and Timothy to the Church of the Thessalonians. They will hear Paul's voice in every word. They will hear his love, his concern, his joy, his prayers. They will know they are not forgotten, not abandoned, not alone in their struggle. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 37:59
They will know that their suffering has meaning, that it is not random or purposeless, but appointed. Part of the cost of following a crucified king in a world that bows to Caesar. They will know that love bridges every distance, that prayer connects hearts across vast expanses of sea and land, that the body of Christ is real and tangible and powerful. And they will know that Christ is coming back, not as a baby in a manger this time, but as a king with all his saints, coming to establish his kingdom, to wipe away every tear, to make all things new, coming to gather his people from Thessalonica and Corinth, from Jerusalem and Rome, from every tribe and tongue and nation, and to present them blameless and holy before the Father. You pause at a corner where two streets intersect, looking back at Paul's building. The lamp still glows in his window, a small point of light in the darkness. You imagine him there, perhaps praying now, lifting up the Thessalonians by name, lifting up you, lifting up all who would ever read these words and need to hear that distance cannot break fellowship, that affliction is not abandonment, that God is faithful. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 39:35
This is the message of 1 Thessalonians 3, and it echoes down through the centuries like a bell ringing clear and true. We are never truly alone, never truly separated from those we love in Christ. Prayer bridges every distance, not just the miles between Corinth and Thessalonica, but the centuries between Paul's time and ours. God is faithful to complete what he has begun in the Thessalonians, in you, in all who call on his name. And when Christ returns with all his saints, we will stand together, blameless in holiness, overflowing in love, established in faith before our God and Father. The promise is sure, the hope is certain, the love is unbreakable. Hold fast to that hope, even when the night is dark and the way is unclear. Stand firm in that faith, even when persecution comes and the cost seems too high. And may the Lord make your love increase and overflow for one another and for all. Just as Paul prayed for the Thessalonians so many centuries ago. Because the same God who strengthened them strengthens you. The same Christ who promised to return for them promises to return for you. The same spirit who established their hearts in holiness works in you today. You turn and continue down the street. But you are not the same person who sat down with Paul hours ago. You have been changed by proximity to his passion, by the weight of his words, by the reality of his love for a church he cannot see but cannot stop thinking about. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 41:37
And tomorrow, when Paul picks up his pen again to write Chapter 4, you will be there, ready to learn, ready to listen, ready to carry these truths forward into whatever future God has planned because this is how the gospel spreads, not through power or might, but through faithful witnesses passing the torch from one generation to the next, from one heart to another, until the whole world is illuminated by the light of Christ. The stars shine brighter now, and somewhere in the distance, you hear the night watch calling the hour. All is well in Corinth tonight, and in Thessalonica, though they don't yet know it, all is well too. God is faithful. Christ is coming. Love endures. Hold fast. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 42:43
Thank you for joining me today as we journeyed through the First Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians  3. I pray you carry these reflections with you into your day, into your week, and that you find strength in knowing God is with you in every trial, every temptation, and every step of obedience. If this time in God's Word has encouraged you, take a moment to share it with someone who might need it. And be sure to join me next time as we continue walking through the scriptures, learning, growing, and staying faithful in the field of life. Until next time, may you find peace in the quiet, trust in God's call, and rest in his unchanging love. 

This is In the Field Audio Bible, where we Listen to the Bible One Chapter at a Time.