A rainy day, and a gift for my husband ** Three graces

Romans 12: 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Three graces are found in our verse today; and all three help each other.

How can we be patient in tribulation if we are not first rejoicing in hope?

How can we rejoice in hope and be patient in tribulation if we’re are not constant in prayer?

First, we need Hope because…

Hope is very much needed, our world is full of frustration, physical pain, emotional pain, disease and death. Some of us have endured life-shattering experiences like divorce, death of a loved one, severe sickness, and joblessness. We live in a fallen world and we need hope. Without hope life is dark.

Second, we need to be patient in tribulation… another word for tribulation is affliction.

We see throughout the Bible that godly people often suffer intense trials.

Job, Joseph, Daniel and John the Baptist who was thrown into prison and beheaded.

The apostle Paul went through beatings, imprisonments, threats on his life, being stoned.

Jesus said, in John 16:33; "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

The same word translated “tribulation” here, is used our scripture verse today.

It means pressure…We are going to experience tribulation we are going to be pressed. … It should not surprise us when it happens.

Third we are to be constant in prayer.

“Constant” means continuous persistent… to give constant attention to, to be steadfastly attentive.

As believers we must give ourselves to prayer. Prayer demands effort and persistence.

It is not always easy to pray and it is not always easy to stay with it, but we must not give up on prayer. Jesus taught us that to always pray and never give up.

Never think that true, biblical God-honoring prayer is supposed to always be easy.

I’ve noticed that it’s often during times of trials that I’m driven to be devoted to prayer.

Maybe you also have the same experience… where you go through your prayer list, but without much intensity or fervency.

But then a trial comes along and we find ourselves praying often and passionately.

The more intense the trial, the more intensely we pray as we cry out to God for help.

Prayer is the lifeline that lays hold of the living God to supply our needs during times of tribulation.

Being devoted to prayer is the only way that you can rejoice in hope and persevere in tribulation.

So, I would sum up all three graces of Romans 12:12 like this:

Tribulation, trouble, calamity, conflict, sickness, and death... these are all the normal conditions of life in this fallen world. But Christ has come, and He has broken into our tribulation and taken it on himself.

He carried our sin, and bore our curse, and absorbed God’s wrath, and became our righteousness, and conquered death and hell and Satan, and opened the door of heaven for all who trust Him.

 

It’s in this hope we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory (1 Peter 1:8).

So now, in spite of and even because of our tribulation our joy is driven down into the roots of hope.

And in this joy, we endure with Jesus in all the sacrifices of love.

I hope you have a wonderful day and God bless!