Stephanie challenged our Sunday School class to meditate on
Romans 12:12. The verse says, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be
constant in prayer” (ESV).
If you think about it, that is a powerful verse for our current
situation. We hear it and see it in the
eyes of some we meet, no sense of hope.
You and I as believers have the promise of Jesus that because he was
victorious over hell, death, and the grave we are victorious also. He has already won the victory. So, no matter what the circumstance we find
ourselves in we can “rejoice in hope.”
Then we are to “be patient in tribulation.” We can be patient during tribulation because
our God is sovereign. He is in
charge. Also, we can be patient in
tribulation because we know it will not last forever. This time of not being able to meet publicly
and to worship and fellowship together will not last forever.
Finally, we need to “be constant in prayer.” Now more than ever we need to be
praying. We need to be praying for our
nation, our community, those in leadership in government, our church and those
in leadership in the church. We need to
pray for God’s wisdom for those who are in positions of authority and must make
decisions that impact our lives.
So, this week as we pray for and think about the needs in
our community, our church family, I want to urge you to take my wife’s
challenge and focus on this verse in Romans.
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in
prayer” (Romans 12;12, ESV).
