Romans 12-12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. " (NIV)The verse above is a pretty simple concept and it can hit home for all of us. It says that in my hopes I am to be joyful. Even while I am hoping for something to happen or for God to move, I must be joyful in my current state.
In my afflictions, I must exercise patience. Now, I know this can be a hard one. You mean to tell me while I'm going through suffering and distress I must be patient? Well, yes. That's what the word says doesn't it? See, a lot of the times we have issues with being patient even when we aren't going through something. To say be patience in time of hardship is one that's hard for us to grasp. Well guess what? It's in the Word and the Word doesn't lie. So, be patient in your affliction.
Lastly, you must be faithful in your prayers. Do you have a broken prayer life? Could you do a little more to improve your prayer life? I cannot speak for you, but I find myself wavering on this one. At times, I make sure that I stay prayed up. Then in times of distress, I get lax. Well, the first step is acceptance. I accept the fact that I do this and now the next step is to fix it. What's the solution? Simple! I just need to do what I'm told to do and pray faithfully, night and day; through good times and bad times.
If you can digest this simple but powerful verse I think it can help you in your every day walk as well. As Jesse Jackson would say, "Keep Hope Alive". As the good 'ole saying goes, "Patience is a virtue" and last but not least pray, pray, pray.
