Three Truths to Cling To
Romans 12:12 Be happy because of the hope you have. Be patient when you have troubles. Pray all the time.
We’ve all had good years and bad years. I’m sure there are one or two at each end of that spectrum that stand out. But as well as the odd peak and trough, the occasional mountain top year or valley year, the majority tend to be more of a mixed bag. A cocktail of good stuff, bad stuff and boring stuff, am I right?
Now, standing as we are on the threshold of a new year, our tendency is to hope for a mountain top year. An outstandingly good year. And perhaps that’s the sort of year that God has planned for you. But statistically speaking, it’s much more likely to be one of those mixed bags.
So, as we prepare for that, what godly advice can we take forward into the new year? What gem can we hang on to, during the mountain top experiences, during the valley experiences and during just the every day humdrum?
Be happy because of the hope you have. Be patient when you have troubles. Pray all the time. (Romans 12:12)
Whenever I share a Bible verse with you I love to go back to how it reads in the original language in which it was written. In the Old Testament that’s Hebrew, and here in the New Testament it’s Greek. And the most direct, the most literal translation from the original Greek goes something like this:
In hope rejoice, in tribulation be patient, in prayer be constant.
I love it. We have a certain hope in Jesus Christ – rock solid, dependable, unfailing hope. That’s something God means for us to rejoice in, both through the good times and the bad.
When tribulation comes – the word literally means to be put under pressure, to have the life squeezed out of you – when that comes (as it does from time to time) don’t grumble, don’t complain, don’t run around like a chicken with its head cut off. Simply be patient. Trust in God, ride it out and rejoice in hope.
And finally, in prayer be constant. Never stop praying. Spend time with God every day in prayer. It’s like an anchor in the storm.
Three things to guide you through the new year. Three things to keep hold of. Three things to treasure.
In hope rejoice, in tribulation be patient, in prayer be constant.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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