Romans 12: Part 11
After Paul tells us to serve the Lord with spiritual fervor and zeal, he goes on to give 3 more commands in the next sentence: "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer". These are three traits or characteristics that we are supposed to be or have and Paul gives three situations in which we should have these traits.
Being Joyful in Hope
The first thing Paul tells us to be is joyful. More specifically, we should be joyful in hope. Another way to phrase joyful is full of joy. Are we known as people who are full of joy? Christians have a bad reputation, especially in the restaurant industry, of being full of complaints and stingy with their tips. This is not the way things are supposed to be. Let us be filled with joy as we go about our days in hope.
Most of us hope for good things instead of bad things. We hope for things not yet here in the present day. We hope for an end to poverty and so we care for the poor. We hope for an end to racism and so we examine our biases and the way the system is stacked against people of color. Let us hope and then work to realize that hope. Hope isn't a passive verb in this case. It is propelling us forward to do something. It isn't merely "I hope someone feeds that homeless guy", but rather, "I hope we all start rehumanize those on the margins as we seek to learn their needs and meet them" as we buy them supper or give them a bag of food.
Let us carry a sense of joy in these situations where we are standing with the marginalized and magnifying their voices as we hope for and work towards a better tomorrow.
Being Patient in Affliction
We are to be patient, not just in life in general, but specifically in affliction. Human nature doesn't have a lot of patience, yet we are commanded time and time again in Scripture to be patient. This isn't an optional elective that we get to decide if we want to acquire some patience. We are commanded to be patient. Period. Now will we obey or disobey this command? If we aren't naturally patient, but are commanded to be patient, how are we to become patient? Through practice. All virtues that Christians are told to possess are in fact things to practice doing in our lives. We become patient by choosing to practice patience when we are stressed, antsy, in a hurry, busy, or running behind.
Paul specified that we should be patient in affliction. Now no one is especially keen on being afflicted or going through a time of affliction, but this is the situation where we should especially be patient. Our true character isn't shown when things are going our way or we are doing what we want to do. Our true colors are shown when we are having a bad day and God is commanding us to do something that we don't want to do. Submission and obedience fade into the background when both parties are in agreement, but when God is guiding us to something we don't want to do, it will soon be clear whether we are willing to obey God or insist that our plans are better than God's.
Being Faithful in Prayer
Our last instruction in this verse is a command to be "faithful in prayer". Sometimes we approach prayers like goldfish are allegedly approaching life: we say a prayer and then forget about it. Imagine walking into a room with a person, asking them a question, and then leaving before they reply. Yet that is what we do when we request that God does something and then never check to see what happened in that situation. Personally, I will either tell a person A) "thanks for letting me know" or B) "let's pray about that right now" if I know that I won't be following up with a request (or am unable to do so). But if something makes it on my prayer list, then I am praying until I get an update. There are many problems in the world that require long term prayer. When we pray for justice to be given to those who have been marginalized, such as the refugee, the immigrant, the poor, or the widow/orphan, we aren't just praying once and checking that request off. We are praying until God's justice is present in that situation.
In order to be faithful in prayer, we must be intentional in praying. We might need to take notes. We might need to sort prayers into categories. We might need to review our notes and write down how things have been answered.
Questions to Wrestle With
Take time this week to consider:
-Would you typically describe yourself as full of joy?
-Would a close friend or family member describe you as full of joy? (Ask them to answer honestly and then don't try to convince them otherwise if you aren't happy with their answer. Thank them and take some time to reflect on their answer)
-Do you tend towards the passive hope or the hope that propels you to do something?
-What examples from your life back up your belief on your view of hope?
-How do you rate your patience?
-What are you doing to grow and develop your patience?
-How has the Spirit used affliction to mold you into a more Christ-like person?
-What do you do when your plans diverge from God's instructions?
-What can you do to be more faithful in prayer?
-What are your long-term prayers you are praying?
-What can you do to be "joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer"?
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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