Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Listen to the Word

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12)

A bit of bad news is implied in God’s instruction to be patient. If God says you are going to need patience, he is obviously assuming that you are not always going to get what you want when you want it. If everything always worked out just the way you hoped, patience would not be required. You need patience because life will be full of circumstances beyond your control. You need patience because hardships will come.

God is honest enough to warn you that life will be full of waiting rooms and traffic jams and dreams that get delayed and hopes that get dashed. Life is hard, so life requires patience.

Live the Word

What “affliction” is troubling you today? Ask God to take care of it, and ask him to help you trust him patiently as he works.