An All the Time Practice

When you’re having a bad day, a run-in with an immensely cheerful person doesn’t always turn that frown upside down. Does it? Commiserating with someone else though—a word literally defined by two or more people wallowing in misery together—that can be a balm to an anxious and worried mind. Sometimes. The relief though, is temporary. 

Romans 12:12 says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” 

The apostle Paul was talking about more than mere cheerfulness in his letter to the Christian believers of Rome. Nowhere in the Bible does the Lord command us, ‘Thou shalt always be chipper,’ but these wise words from Paul remind us to think—before we sink. No matter what hardships we face, our hope is found in Jesus Christ and this hope is an infinite well of joy we can turn to in times of trouble. 

Paul also reminds believers to be patient no matter what befalls us. Paul was a respected missionary, even honored and admired by powerful officials of his day who didn’t share his Christian beliefs. Despite his good standing, for a period of two years he was in prison—literally chained and under constant guard. And from this depth of experience, he’s able to tell others to be patient in affliction. Whether our chains are literal or figurative in nature, the trials we face can mold our character and build our patience if we choose to let them. 

The most important part of Paul’s message in this verse is the reminder to be faithful in prayer. God is worthy of all honor and praise, but He also knows us, understands our weaknesses, and loves us anyway. On the days life feels too difficult to approach the Lord with a smile on our faces and joy in our hearts, He still wants to hear from us. Prayer is not a sometimes thing; it’s an all the time practice that grows our faith, strengthens our relationship with God, and changes our lives. 

So, be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. 

Let’s pray. 

Lord, you are the source of all our hope, the teacher of patience, and the one who listens to every prayer. Help us to choose joy over despair, patience over exasperation, and to pray faithfully. Sometimes fear and frustration threaten to overwhelm us, but you are near, and we pray you will turn our hearts to you. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

When you're having a bad day. A run-in with an immensely cheerful person doesn't always turn that frown upside down, does it? Commiserating with someone else, though? A word literally defined by two or more people wallowing in misery together. That can be a bomb to an anxious and worried mind. Sometimes the relief, though, is temporary.

Speaker 1: 0:23

Romans 12.12 says Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. The Apostle Paul was talking about more than mere cheerfulness in his letter to the Christian believers of Rome. Nowhere in the Bible does the Lord command us. Thou shalt always be chipper, but these wise words from Paul remind us to think before we sink. No matter what hardships we face, our hope is found in Jesus Christ, and this hope is an infinite well of joy we can turn to in times of trouble. Paul also reminds believers to be patient no matter what befalls us.

Speaker 1: 1:02

Paul was a respected missionary, even honored and admired by powerful officials of his day who didn't share his Christian beliefs, despite his good standing. For a period of two years he was in prison, literally chained and under constant guard, and from this depth of experience he's able to tell others to be patient in affliction. Whether our chains are literal or figurative in nature, the trials we face can mold our character and build our patience, if we choose to let them. The most important part of Paul's message in this verse is the reminder to be faithful in prayer. God is worthy of all honor and praise, but he also knows us, understands our weaknesses and loves us. Anyway, on the days life feels too difficult to approach the Lord with a smile on our faces and joy in our hearts, he still wants to hear from us.

Speaker 1: 1:56

Prayer is not a sometimes thing. It's an all-the-time practice that grows our faith, strengthens our relationship with God and changes our lives. So be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer. Let's pray, lord. You are the source of all our hope, the teacher of patience and the one who listens to every prayer. Help us to choose joy over despair, patience over exasperation, and to pray faithfully. Sometimes, fear and frustration threaten to overwhelm us, but you are near and we pray. You will turn our hearts to you In Jesus' name amen. Hey, thanks for joining us this week on the Caruso Daily Devotional. If you're joining us for the first time and you want to check out other series, please be sure to subscribe wherever you're listening. Secondly, caruso is a family-owned business in the USA that makes all kinds of cool faith-based lifestyle products like t-shirts, caps, drinkware, etc. And there are even some that feature messages from this series you just listened to. You can learn more about us on Carusocom and please follow us on socials. Facebook is at Caruso that's K-E-R-U-S-S-O, and Instagram is at Caruso Official Thanks.