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Author: Martin Steinbereithner, from the Servants of the Word, an international, ecumenical brotherhood of men living single for the Lord.

Stand Your Ground When Things Get Tough

In his letter to the Romans, Paul writes, “Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (Romans 12:12 RSV)

The whole of chapter 12 of Romans is one long exhortation to Christians filled with good advice on how to live a fervent life in the midst of hostile environment. Paul exhorts the Romans to appropriate God’s grace, to humbly exercise one’s gifts, to love fellow Christians, and to show hospitality. The list goes on and on (and makes for a good read sometime!). This particular verse focuses on three interrelated elements, all crucial for survival in difficult circumstances: hope, perseverance and prayer. These three features of a disciple’s life function a bit like a virtuous cycle: when I pray regularly, I gain perspective on my life and I recapture the purpose for which I live, thus reconnecting with the eternal perspective. In so doing, I stir up hope: Hope, as we have seen this week, is the firm conviction that things will turn out well because God is ultimately in charge. Hope is not pie in the sky, nor is it a set of rose-tinted glasses which cause me to be unrealistic about the challenges in my life. Hope allows me to persevere in difficulties and trials –or, as the Greek literally says: Hope allows me “to stand my ground”. Having stood my ground, I have reasons to turn to God and pray in gratitude—and the cycle starts again.

Ask yourself today: “Where do I have need to strengthen my hope through prayer, so that I can grow in perseverance?”

Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.