The riches of God's word.

Romans 12:12 

        Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 

Here's a short, simple verse that's packed with good stuff. I love how God's word cna be so succinct and yet so full of treasure, and how different verses all link up.

Be Joyful in Hope 
It's pretty simple: Be joyful because of the hope you have. Be hopeful. Praise God. Jesus came to earth, he who was and is God became a man for our sakes. He lived perfectly and died to take our sins if we turn to him. Through him we are completely, 100% saved. Our sins are forgiven and even though we still stuff up he forgives. Therefore rejoice! Even if the world is falling apart, even if the mountains are falling into the heart of the sea, you have reason to rejoice (Psalm 46:1-3).

Our sure hope is that God works everything for his glory and our good (Romans 8:28) and that ultimately he will bring us to heaven, to be in his presence forever. That's a blessing we cannot fathom.

Philippians 4:4

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Patient in Affliction
Paul isn't a prosperity gospel preacher. Everyone who has any sense can see that Christians, like everyone else in the world, face hard times. Not only that, but we are often (or at least can be) persecuted for our faith. 2 Timothy 3:12 tells us that every Christian will be persecuted. The question isn't if, it's when will you be persecuted?

We will suffer, But be patient, the eternal glory we will receive is far better than any suffering we can face here. It's worth it by far (Romans 8:18). Trust God, be joyful and be patient.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Faithful in Prayer
Just because God's in control doesn't mean that we aren't called to trust him and pray. We should pray for ourselves and the situations we are in, and we should pray for those around us, both Christians and non-Christians.

Prayer is an expression of our trust in God. It is a proof of our faith. So keep praying, keep trusting God and keep serving him. Even if he doesn't seem to be answering. We know that God does answer our prayers - not always how we want or would expect, but he always hears us and works for our good in it all (Romans 8:28 again). 

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 

Soli Deo Gloria
Nat.