“Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.” Romans 12:12 NLT.
Having experienced firsthand the grace and love and power of God in His salvation of our souls, we grow ever more confident in our hope for an Eternal future with Him, according to His promise. This is cause for great rejoicing!
Yet even with this glorious hope, God’s people meet with trouble on this earth. Injustice, sickness, bereavement, betrayal, and many other ills make constant assault on us and on our faith; if we allow them, they can swallow up our hope.
That is one reason that we are told so often to rejoice in the Lord, and in the hope that we have in Him. As we rejoice in Him, Jesus, with all His power and love fills our vision. When looking at Him, we can believe that “this, too, shall pass away”; that Jesus’ love for us and His almighty power will keep us safe, even in this situation.
While we are in trouble, Paul reminds us to be patient, and continue to pray. Our tendency, of course, is to want to get out of trouble immediately. But sometimes, this is not God’s plan. Sometimes, He wants us to discover that, in the midst of the long, dark night, He is right there beside us; that He is sharing in our grief, bearing it with us. And as we patiently continue in prayer, our conversations with Jesus become more and more precious; the morning, when it comes, is all the brighter.
The View from my Window 