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UV 1755/10000 @
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
Romans 12 v 12

The sunrise and sunset every day around the earth is a symbol of the glory of God. It is a daily reminder of the greatness of the Lord. Our hope of seeing another sunrise, another sunset keeps us joyful. The promises of the Lord in His Word inspire us with hope. That hope keeps us rejoicing in the Lord and His faithfulness. When a promise is fulfilled in our lives, we are joyful and our faith and hope are further renewed. The hope of eternal life keeps us rejoicing in our hope. The hope of prophecies spoken in our regard coming true gives us joy. We rejoice that our names are written in the book of the living in heaven. The answers to our faithful prayers in the past fills us with hope. The fact that the Lord has led us from where we were to where we are fills us with joyful hope. We rejoice not on account of who we are but on account of whose we are. We rejoice because Jesus, the eternal Bridegroom declares, “ My beloved is mine and I am his and my banner over him is love.” We rejoice as He lifts our heavy yoke or burden and gives us a light yoke – the seeds of His promise to make our lives better through verse.
When times are good, the faithful are hopeful. When times are bad, the faithful are patient, knowing that our suffering will come to an end sooner or later. We are patient in tribulations and trials as it is God’s way of forming our character and strengthening our faith. We are patient as we trust the Lord and He knows what is best for us. We are patient as the Lord will intervene in due time. We are patient as the Lord rewards the faithful who suffer for no fault of theirs. We are patient as we know the Lord’s promise that “blessed are those who are persecuted for My Name’s sake.” We are patient as the Holy Spirit comforts and strengthens us so that we can endure our troubles. We are patient as the Lord will surely provide the way of escape. We are patient as many leaders and men and women of God have landed in greater trouble when they decided to step ahead of the Lord and find solutions themselves instead of waiting for the Lord.
In good times, we need to pray as if we have already received that which we hope for. In bad times, we pray that the Lord will take away our cup of suffering but His will should prevail and not ours. We should give up the spirit of mourning, of moaning, of sadness and don the garment of praise in all circumstances. Scripture exhorts us to be joyful in all circumstances. Our @ or attitude of hopeful expectation, patient endurance and constant prayer will give opportunities for the Lord’s grace to operate in our lives. Our human nature is inclined naturally to be weighed down by one reason for us to be sad even if we have a hundred reasons to rejoice. But as the Christ nature takes control of us, we develop the patience of Jesus. Prayer is a continual connection in the spirit with the Lord.
Prateep V Philip