Dear Heavenly Father,
You tell us in Romans 12:12(ESV), “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” This is truly a strategy that we must use for times like these. There is trouble around us, and many are witnessing challenges they’ve never experienced before. But even in these troubling times, You have commanded us to first rejoice in hope. It may seem odd to some that they should be required to rejoice when things look bleak, but as Your children, we shouldn’t focus on the trouble. Our focus should be on You, because You have all power in Your hands, and there is no problem that You can’t solve. No issue is too complicated or too big for Your unyielding wisdom, strength, love, and power.
To rejoice is to show great joy or cheer. It is more than a feeling. It’s a verb that connotes action. We are to be excited and elated in the hope that Your Son, Jesus Christ, gives us; and Romans 5:5 tells us that this hope will not make us ashamed. In other words, we will not end up with egg on our faces when our trust is firmly placed in You through Jesus Christ. You don’t want us to lean on our own understanding and try to figure out why this and that is happening. Our responsibility is to trust You with our whole hearts, because You will direct our paths. So, when we rejoice in hope, we must actively praise You with our whole hearts, with joy and confidence in Your ability. When we do this, we demonstrate our obedience to trust You, because this is what You have told us to do in Your Word.
You also tell us in Romans 12:12 to be patient in tribulation. Father, many of us struggle with this. We desire Your Will to be done in our lives, but personally, I find myself wanting to do things my own way, because my way seems quicker. Sometimes we feel anxious and uncomfortable with our current conditions and circumstances, and we don’t want things to remain the way they are. Loneliness can be emotionally exhausting, and not having the things we believe we need can also cause us to be stressed. We sometimes don’t think we have what it takes to patiently endure, but we do, and You have commanded us in Romans 12:12 to pray. When we are obedient to immediately respond to difficulty by praying to You in the powerful name of Jesus Christ, Your Spirit will give us peace, and You will send Your ministering angels to comfort us.
Father, please help us to remember that mistakes and hurtful situations happen when we try to get ahead of the Holy Spirit. Our faith must be firmly planted in You, because You always know what’s best for our lives. Your timing is always perfect, and we ask Your forgiveness for not trusting in this. Please help us to walk in wisdom and to continue to develop patience and endurance, because this is what You have commanded of us.
Please forgive us for our sins, Father, and help those who do not know You. Please send a believer across their paths to tell them the Good News of Jesus Christ, that through him, You will save their souls. Thank You for our precious and powerful Lord and Savior. Thank You for the extraordinary gift of Holy Spirit and thank You for all Your many blessings. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“God Always Know Best”, written by K. Lizzie, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2020. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.