40 Days of PRAYER
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days of PRAYER
Day 8 | CONFIDENT AND PATIENT | Romans 12:12
40 Days of PRAYER
Day 8 | CONFIDENT AND PATIENT | Romans 12:12
CONFIDENT AND PATIENT
Romans 12:12
“Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. (NLT)
In this section of Romans 12, the Apostle Paul gives us a list of instructions on how to live like a Christian and how to live with others.
He starts with “Rejoice in our confident hope.”
Our “confident HOPE” is what Jesus did for us on the cross and His rising from the grave. Thus, our ultimate HOPE is eternity with our Lord Jesus Christ in heaven! THAT is our final destination, and we need to always keep that clearly in mind.
(And as I remind folks: THIS – where we are today – is NOT heaven. Don’t get too comfortable. Don’t forget the words to that old song: “This world is not my home I’m just a passin’ through.”)
That is our HOPE!
And because of that HOPE, we can be “patient in trouble.” The Amplified Bible says it this way: “Be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation.” Now frankly, no one desires suffering or hardship. (And if they did, I’d suggest a mental check-up.) But the reality is… that sometimes happens, even to Believers in Christ, even to Christians in America. And “patient in trouble” does not give us an excuse to abandon hope or patience, or to discontinue our prayers.
Leon Morris wrote: “Patience does not denote passive putting up with things, but an active, steadfast endurance. And tribulation denotes not some minor pinprick, but deep and serious trouble.”
The verse goes on to say, even if you have HOPE, even when there is suffering and trouble… “KEEP ON PRAYING.”
Remember, PRAYER is communicating with God. Talking to Him AND listening to Him… having a conversation with the Creator of the Universe; asking Him questions and then being still and listening.
Prayer: LORD, I admit I need to listen more and talk less because YOU have all the answers! You are my HOPE, and I trust in You. Amen.
Romans 12:12
“Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. (NLT)
In this section of Romans 12, the Apostle Paul gives us a list of instructions on how to live like a Christian and how to live with others.
He starts with “Rejoice in our confident hope.”
Our “confident HOPE” is what Jesus did for us on the cross and His rising from the grave. Thus, our ultimate HOPE is eternity with our Lord Jesus Christ in heaven! THAT is our final destination, and we need to always keep that clearly in mind.
(And as I remind folks: THIS – where we are today – is NOT heaven. Don’t get too comfortable. Don’t forget the words to that old song: “This world is not my home I’m just a passin’ through.”)
That is our HOPE!
And because of that HOPE, we can be “patient in trouble.” The Amplified Bible says it this way: “Be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation.” Now frankly, no one desires suffering or hardship. (And if they did, I’d suggest a mental check-up.) But the reality is… that sometimes happens, even to Believers in Christ, even to Christians in America. And “patient in trouble” does not give us an excuse to abandon hope or patience, or to discontinue our prayers.
Leon Morris wrote: “Patience does not denote passive putting up with things, but an active, steadfast endurance. And tribulation denotes not some minor pinprick, but deep and serious trouble.”
The verse goes on to say, even if you have HOPE, even when there is suffering and trouble… “KEEP ON PRAYING.”
Remember, PRAYER is communicating with God. Talking to Him AND listening to Him… having a conversation with the Creator of the Universe; asking Him questions and then being still and listening.
Prayer: LORD, I admit I need to listen more and talk less because YOU have all the answers! You are my HOPE, and I trust in You. Amen.