"IT STARTS WITH HOPE"

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Romans 12:12

One time, I talked to my older daughter about setting up our inflatable pool in a few days so our family could have some sort of outdoor activity. The idea itself blew her mind. It was summer, so she’d been dying to dip in a cool, relaxing pool. In her excitement, she took a pencil, and a piece of paper, and “planned” our mini swimming day out. She listed down the things we needed, asked me about our food for that day, and even urged me to create a schedule from set up to take down. After planning, she said “This is going to be a great day. I can’t wait! Dad, I will help you to set up the pool and pack it up when we’re done.”

This is a picture of hope.

In our verse of the day, Paul describes what church life should look like. He is saying that we should not only hope but also be cheerful in hoping. Not only should we endure affliction, but we should also be patient while enduring difficult situations. Not only should we pray, but we should also be fervent in prayer.

Christian hope is a reason to rejoice. The Bible teaches that our hope goes beyond this life. We will one day have bodies fit for heaven and spend eternity in the Kingdom of God. With eyes fixed on that glorious future, we can be genuinely happy about our hope.

But the road to glory is not going to be a smooth ride and the Roman believers had a first-hand experience of that truth. During the early stage of Christianity, followers of Christ were hunted, arrested, and sent to prison. Some of them were even murdered because of their faith. The Apostles were the first group of people to taste the cruelty of the world against Christians. However, they humbly embraced affliction and even praised God for the beatings they received.

41 “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.”

Acts 5:41

If we decide to truly follow Christ, we should be prepared to walk the same road Jesus and His disciples walked. We will, at some point, be persecuted and suffer affliction. But because of the surpassing greatness of our hope, we can look beyond the present pain and demonstrate real patience.

Prayer is an essential part of a Christian's life. Being faithful in prayer equals praying at all times (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Even when it seems like God is not listening to our prayers, we should keep on praying—especially when we’re stuck in a difficult situation. We are certain that each time we call, the Lord listens and responds to our situation—because Jesus said so.

The last two commands will not be easy to obey if we skip the first one. Hope is the starting point of our race. It is the promise that we will one day see God in all His glory and live with Him forever that keeps us going. When we have this kind of hope, we won’t complain about the duration of the race. Rather, we will enjoy the journey itself, knowing that victory is at hand.

It was the idea of enjoying a day in our inflatable pool that brought my child hope and excitement. She trusted that it would happen. That’s child-like faith in action.

And because her father loves her, he will do his best to turn her hope into a reality. Nothing gives her father greater joy than seeing her happy and hopeful.

That’s how God feels about His children. He is delighted when we trust Him. The fulfillment of God’s promise may be a long way ahead, but if we can learn how to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer, time is just a number. But it all starts with hope.

Pursue the Saviour today!