Romans 12:12 - Rejoice in hope, be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
Romans 12:12 (NLT) Rejoice in our confident
hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
INTRODUCTION
If we take counsel with our doubts and
fears, or try to solve everything that we cannot
see clearly, before we have faith, perplexities
will only increase and deepen. But if we come to
God, feeling helpless and dependent, as we really
are, and in humble, trusting faith make known our
wants to Him whose knowledge is infinite, who sees
everything in creation, and who governs everything by
His will and word, He can and will attend to our
cry, and will let light shine into our hearts.
Through sincere prayer we are brought into
connection with the mind of the Infinite. We may have
no remarkable evidence at the time that the
face of our Redeemer is bending over us in
compassion and love, but this is even so. We may not
feel His visible touch, but His hand is upon us
in love and pitying tenderness. SC96, 97
COMMENTARY PEARL
Hope: Have Only Positive Expectations.
Something inside me bucks up against this maxim. After
all, not every story has a happy ending. Or does
it? I can easily think of several lasting
benefits that have come from some of the hardest
things in my life. More than making lemonade out of
lemons, certain "afflictions" have produced results
I now enjoy every day.
My childhood was very broken - mentally
ill and alcoholic parents, painful isolation
from our family in Italy, both fleeting wealth
and poverty, and the tragic death of a brother,
among other things. But brought to Him, Jesus has
used every smidgen of it to deepen my dependence
on Him, increasing my faith, patience, and joy
manifold. Verses such as James 1:2-8 repeats this
theme of "count it all joy" (v. 2, ESV) when we
face hardship.
I've also experienced peace and joy that
aren't attached to circumstances. Plus, I get the
added perk of sharing that with others facing
"trials of various kinds" (v. 2, ESV).
This kind of hope, transcendent HOPE is
the result of counting on Someone loving and
all-powerful, the One able to make the sweetest lemonade
out of the sourest lemons. Beyond the fruit
(pardon the Galatians 5:22-23 pun) I can have here
on earth, I have the assurance that my
"momentary troubles" will ultimately give way to an
eternal glory I can't fathom (2 Corinthians
4:17-18). My true hope is heaven. Isabella Yosuico
Faith Step: Allow yourself to imagine
heaven and its healing. [Mornings With Jesus 2021
Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan]
COMMENTARY ILLUSTRATION
Hey, Buck, what do you think penguins
did to deserve that life?" John said, in his
John Brooklynese. I know this sounds like a
strange conversation starter, but if you knew John
you'd understand. "Okay. I'll bite," I said,
settling in for the verbal ride.
"Seriously, take a look at those guys.
They basically live in a subzero blizzard,
everything around is trying to eat them, the dads have
to stand there protecting an egg while the mom
walks a million miles for a beak-full of food to
bring back..."
"Well...?"
But John, being John, was off to another
topic.
But I was stuck on the penguins. Do you
ever wonder the same? God, what did I do to
deserve this?
It's interesting, the longer I walk with
the Lord, the more wonderfully mysterious He
becomes. Sometimes He blesses me when I least expect
it. Sometimes I think I'm plugging along great
and He leads me smack into a season of struggle.
But, fair winds or storms, He is God. And He is
good.
I've never stood in a blizzard protecting
an egg. But there have been rough parts of the
road, and it's been there in the valleys, in the
darkest dark, that I've felt that warm arm around my
shoulders and I've heard that heavenly whisper of love
that never leaves or forsakes. Looking back, I
wouldn't trade a mile.
And, now that I think about it, penguins
actually look pretty happy. Maybe they already know
something I'm learning every day - mountaintop or
canyon, we have a Friend on the journey. And I'm so
glad.
May the stars make me humble and the
storms make me strong. Thank You, Lord. for the
things that bring me closer to You. Buck Storm
[Walking in Grace 2021 Devotional by Guideposts and
Zondervan]
CLOSING THOUGHT
In 1 Corinthians 15:43-44, we read, "The
bodies we have now embarrass us, for they become
sick and die; but they will be full of glory
Yes, they are weak, dying bodies now, but when we
live again they will be full of strength. They
are just human bodies at death, but when they
come back to life they will be superhuman bodies.
For just as there are natural, human bodies,
there are also supernatural, spiritual bodies." I
can hardly believe it. I, with shriveled, bent
fingers; atrophied muscles; and no feeling from the
shoulders down will one day have a new body - light,
bright, and clothed in righteousness - powerful and
dazzling. Can you imagine the hope this gives someone
with a spinal cord injury, a brain injury,
cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, or bipolar
disease? As the apostle Paul writes, we can "be
joyful in hope" (Rom. 12:12) just allowing our
imaginations to think about such things.
Lord, I thank You and praise You for the
indescribable, almost explosive hope in 1 Corinthians 15.
When Im weary and discouraged over arms and
legs that don't work. I remember that the time is
very short - a handful of years at most - until I
will step into a new body made to live forever. A
body like Yours! What a wondrous, joyful thought!
[A Spectacle of Glory by Joni Eareckson Tada
and Larry Libby]
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Hope is a golden cord connecting you to
heaven. This cord helps you hold your head up high,
even when multiple trials are buffeting you. I
never leave your side, and I never let go of your
hand. But without the cord of hope, your head may
slump and your feet may shuffle as you journey
uphill with Me. Hope lifts your perspective from
your weary feet to the glorious view you can see
from the high road. You are reminded that the
road we are traveling together is ultimately a
highway to heaven. When you consider this radiant
destination, the roughness or smoothness of the road
ahead becomes much less significant. I am training
you to hold in your heart a dual focus: My
continual Presence and the hope of heaven. (Rom.
12:12; 1Th. 5:8; Heb. 6:18, 19) [Jesus Calling by
Sarah Young]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
Romans 12:12 - Rejoice in confident hope. Be
patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210827-1108.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
[BEGINS October 15, 2021]
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
