Patience and Prayer
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
This was my Bible verse for today (I will give you the chapter and verse later). When I read this, I consider how much I have gained so far in my faith walk and how blessed I am to have a creator that cares about me. I am also thinking about how far I still need to grow. The passage has three sentence fragments (I think - I have not dissected a phrase in well over 40 years).
The first segment talks about rejoicing in hope. Hope of what you might ask? It could be talking about earthly riches but I doubt it. Earthy riches, besides being temporary, are revealed to be the cause of all kinds of problems throughout the Bible. No, it must be something else. The dictionary defines hope as a desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment. I believe our hope is in the love and contentment only God can provide. Being an heir with Christ in Heaven is definitely a part of that.
The second segment encourages us to be patient in tribulation. This one is easy to wrap our heads around but can be difficult to do. It’s easy when the tribulation is getting behind a tractor on the road on the way to an appointment. It is much harder when your life is falling apart at the seems or even for being persecuted for your faith. I often find myself dwelling on whatever my trouble is. God has shown me time and time again when this happens that there are many more people in the world that are facing more adverse situations than I am. I consider this to be a work in process for me to keep my eyes open to others whether my life is going great or I’m facing some difficulty.
The third segment is the hardest for me. God made me to be both independent, a problem solver and, most significantly, to be an introvert. I hear others pray and I am in awe of their ability to craft a public prayer. Mine always seem to fall short to my ears. I have read many self-help guides on how to pray, listened in Bible study classes, heard sermons. In all of these, I have struggled to craft the formula that I can apply to prayer. Yet when I am by myself in my quiet time in the morning, sometimes I stop and share with God what is weighing on me. What do you think is more important?
In fact, when I saw this passage I felt that God wanted me to bear my soul in sharing this with you. But it’s not just for you. As I do this, I’m asking the Holy Spirit to help me to grow in all these areas.
Here’s the passage again from Romans (and more):
“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” - Romans 12:9-21 ESV
