A Great Verse
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12
This verse is one of those memory verses you mark in your Bible. Maybe you buy a print to place somewhere in the house so you can see it every day. It seems so basic and so applicable to everything we’ve been going through these days, and it outlines the Christian life. Three key attributes of the Christian life are described in this one verse.
I thought perhaps we should look at these attributes reading from left to right for this devotion. Let’s look at the verse like this: Through faithfulness in prayer, we receive patience to wait upon Jesus in whom we find our joyful hope.
In all things – we should seek God through prayer. He is always available to listen. But not only are we encouraged to pray but to pray faithfully. For this devotion, I’ll define faithful as constant - constant in conversation with God throughout the day. To think, we have access to talk to The God of the universe throughout the day. What an amazing privilege! Through every stumble, look to Him for guidance. For every blessing, give thanks. That’s what God wants, and it is what we need.
Patience in times of affliction, pain and heartbreak is certainly a cause to be prayerful. Whether it’s health issues, financial burdens, emotional struggles or even cases of some forms of persecution, we need Godly patience to lead us through. Seek God through prayer and lean on Him for the patience, strength and courage to endure.
Then be joyful in hope. This hope is set in the work of Jesus through Whom we have the promise of eternal life. In the face of the trials, through faithful prayer and patience, we keep our focus on Jesus while awaiting His promised return.
Paul’s message in Romans is to teach that all these attributes of Christian life are connected to Jesus. Hope, patience, and prayer are intertwined in and from Jesus - all for the sake of loving each other as we ought. In this way Christ becomes more visible and more real and more convincing in the world.
Father, may we always be joyful in the hope we have in Jesus. Thank You for Your Word and the many gems, like the Romans 12:12 verse, that bring us a deeper knowledge of the relationship You desire. Illuminate our daily lives and ground us in the promise of the future kingdom. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.