In Romans 12:12, We are called to "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." What a simple but challenging verse to apply to our days when things are not going as we like and when we don't understand what God is doing. We struggle to be patient in affliction, and we struggle to stay our hearts and minds on hope and be joyful in the Lord. Because we struggle in this area, often our faithfulness in pray suffers, and if it doesn't, we find our prayers are like reruns of our questions, asking God why, and when He will intervein and bring blessing, intervein and fix what is wrong, what is unjust, what is evil.
Do you ever struggle with this?
Man, I do.
I don't know what is taking place in your life right now. I pray you are in a season where affliction is absent, joy is plentiful, and your prayer life is faithfully consistent and powerful. But, if you are walking in a bit of a valley, walking through a hard time where joy is lacking, hope seems to be absent, your patients are wearing thin and maybe even doubting the power of prayer, let this be an encouragement for you.
Always remember the joy will come in the morning. God is not working in vain in your life or allowing hard things for no purpose or reason. Don't believe the enemy. Don't believe that God has forsaken you or that he doesn't care or love, or that He can't hear you. No, He loves and has a purpose despite the presence of evil and people’s sinful hearts. God is still at work, moving towards His good and loving purposes.
Psalms 30 1-5 reads
I will exalt you, Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. 2 Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me. 3 You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit.
4 Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name. 5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favour lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
There is joy in the morning. We love that part. But note that this Psalms starts with David saying, "You lifted me out of the depths" this means that David was in the depths. He was in despair. David was helped, but he had to first be in a place where he needed to call for help. He was so down, in such a place of darkness, he writes, "You Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead." Not that David was down that low. Yet, David calls to the Lord and continues to praise him while he calls for help. This we to must do.
Job is another person who we see goes through an incredibly brutal ordeal. His family is taken away, all his kids. His wealth and farm are taking away. Everything he owns is gone. Even his health is taken from him, almost to death. And yes, he wants answers. He wants God to explain why everything is happening to him. Yet, in his frustration to know why he does not curse God or get indignant with God. But note that even though Job could not see what God was doing in the Spiritual realm, even what God was allowing Satan to do in Job's life and family, God was using Job for His glory, to show Satan what kind of God-fearing man Job was. Wow, recognize that Job is the only person in scripture we see that God directly allows Satan to test in this way save Jesus Christ in the desert. God had faith in Job to stand the test and bring glory to His name for all the realm of heaven to see.
Even more incredible is that despite Job's demands to understand what God was doing, God used this situation to not only show Satan what kind of man Job was, but God used this situation to show Job more clearly what kind of God He was. Note Job's words after God came and spoke with Him. Job speaks, "My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." Through this ordeal, Job was gifted to not only have heard and known about God but to have indeed seen Him. God used the trial to open Job's eyes to how much bigger, how much more GOD, God was. Job repents, and then God does what God promises again and again in His Holy Word, even after we struggle with Him so much. God blessed Job. The morning came, and the rejoicing begins as the blessing are realized.
I don't know your struggles this week. But I can promise you on the authority of the Word of God, if you have put your trust in Jesus Christ, you are not alone in your struggle, in your pit. God is with you, Jesus is beside you and the Holy Spirit of comfort lives within you. Evil, sin, and injustice may be present, hey, even Satan himself might be attacking you (not likely, but it's possible), but even so, do not forget that you are not alone. God… nope… not big enough… GOD is also at work using whatever is going on, no matter how dark, no matter how close to the pit you might feel, God is at work turning things, bending things, changing things, and showing His power, goodness and glory. It might still be night, it might still be dark all around you, but don't lose hope; He is not gone, He hears, and by His love and mercy, He will bring rejoicing in the morning.
I don't know when your morning in His light will come, but when it comes, you will see Him a little more clearly, and in the meantime, be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Amen.
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