Be Joyful, Patient, and Faithful

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer”    Romans 12:12

There are so many verses in the Bible that are like a heavyweight punch to the gut when it comes to how we are to live as Christians, and Romans 12:12 is one of them. The entire chapter is that way, but for now, I’d just like to dissect this one verse.

“Be joyful in hope…” The first thing I need to do is properly define hope. Hope is more than a strong desire for something to happen; it is an expectation of good things that will come. God has promised us rewards in Heaven, in addition to eternity spent with Him. I don’t think we need any more reason than that to be joyful, no matter what trials we are going through.

“Patient in affliction…” God doesn’t disappear when things get bad; He’s there, working behind the scenes, waiting to come out with something awesome – even if we never see it here on earth. His goal is for us to be like Him, and He can and will use the ugliest circumstances for His glory.

“Faithful in prayer…”  This is where I struggle the most. Something will be heavy on my heart, and I will pray hard about it… for a few days; so recently, I wrote myself a note and put it somewhere I will see it a lot, to remind myself to pray persistently. But why pray if God has a perfect plan that cannot be altered? I believe that it is more for our benefit than His. We cannot have a relationship with somebody we do not talk to. And, I think that those times when we are persistent in prayer are times when we learn to love like God does. God does not give up on anybody; I shouldn’t, either.

I know I am young and I haven’t been ‘through the wringer’ like so many people, but I am able to say a lot of this from experience. I have a brother in Heaven, and watching him go there instead of come home from the hospital was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Also, I recently experienced something difficult within the circle of people I love the most; in one way, it’s not over yet, and it may not be for a very long time – so I am preaching to myself as I write about being patient in affliction and faithful in prayer.