Hope,
Patience and Constancy
“Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant
in prayer.” (Romans 12: 12)
Hope, for a Christian, is the hope promised by Christ. The hope of salvation; of forgiveness of
sins. It is hope for the consummation of
God’s will on earth and within us. In this
hope we see the beauty of God’s plan. He
desires that all be saved and spend eternity with Him. This is the hope of the gospel; the hope we
rejoice in.
Patience is difficult for many of us. In times of sorrow and tribulation patience can
be even harder. When we are in pain or
turmoil we just want it to be over. Even
a day seems too long to suffer. Yet
patience in suffering and tribulation contributes to a better understanding of
God and His ways. He will never tax us
beyond our ability to cope. In patience
we learn that even though we suffer, sometimes for a lengthy time, God is still
there. He will comfort us and console us. In this way we come to rely on His mercy even
more.
I believe the key to both hope and patience rests in constancy. No matter the situation constancy in prayer
will bring hope and help us practice patience.
At times prayer can be difficult.
Our suffering and pain may cause us to question God. Why has He given us this cross to bear? Reflecting on the cross of Jesus is the
answer. We are to bear our crosses just
as He did. Christ’s pain on the cross brought
a tremendous good; the redemption of mankind.
When we join our pain to His perhaps some good can come of our pain as
well.
Hope, patience and constancy.
Each is important to our spiritual life.
Of these, constancy in prayer will strengthen our hope and increase our patience.
Lord You are
the source of all hope.
In our
sorrow Your love eases the pain.
May we
always seek You in prayer,
Confident
in Your love and mercy.
Amen
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