Praise! Patience! Prayer!

When a believer, a Christian, first receives Christ as his Lord and Savior, there is an initial glow and passion for serving Christ. But soon after, there is a danger of slipping back into old, sinful habits and a spiritual deadening that leaves your life unchanged.

To protect against this, Paul encourages us to continue steadfastly in God's grace, because the exercise of grace affects our convictions. He tells us, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" (Rom. 12:12, NIV). Praise! Patience! Prayer!

When you follow Jesus, you have an anchor in the future. You have a certain hope. This hope is more than simple optimism. It is hope of a future, an eternity with the Lord Jesus in heaven. Such hope fills us with joy. It causes great rejoicing because our sights are set on that great and glorious day when we will be caught up in heaven with Him and we will see His glory and be united with Him forever.

Such hope sustains us and enables us to be "patient in affliction" (v. 12b). "Affliction" (v. 12b) is literally "tribulation." Remember Paul's words in Romans 5:3-4—"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." That brings us full circle! Hope enables patience, and patience, or perseverance, produces character, which leads to hope.

The mention of prayer at this point is only natural. That hope and that patience is grounded in our being "faithful in prayer" (Rom. 12:12c). When under stress and strain our greatest resource is prayer. As James says, "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much" (James 5:16b).

Praise! Patience! Prayer! Rejoice in the hope of your future with Christ. Be patient in all of life's circumstance, knowing that Jesus will see you through. Be faithful in prayer every day. Amen.