Day 15: Romans 12:12
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
I can see you giving me a side-eye, wondering what kind of joyful hope the Bible is referring to—one intertwined with affliction!
Let me give you two reasons to have joyful hope.
1. Hope in the certainty of God’s promises. Joshua 23:14 summarizes this as follows:
“Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.” (NIV)
2. Hope in the God who made these promises. See what Hebrews 10:23 says:
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” (NIV)
Because we hope in a God whose promises never fail, we can be patient in affliction and faithful in prayer!
Reflection
Sometimes I struggle to place my hope in God, especially when I can’t feel Him or see what He is doing. That is where His promises come in. Every one of them is written in the Bible for us to hold on to. All we need to do is open its pages and hear His voice speaking words of encouragement. How about we try that now? Open Hebrews 13:5 and let these words, spoken in love, encourage your heart.
‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (NIV)
Prayer
Lord, help me to place my hope in You when things are tough. Give me joy and peace as I trust in You. Lead me to Your promises in Your Word, and use them to encourage my heart and draw me closer to You. Amen.