“Do not forget to rejoice, for hope is always just around the corner. Hold up through the hard times that are coming, and devote yourselves to prayer.” Romans 12:12 TV
Rejoice. Hope. Perservere. Pray
How do we rejoice? To rejoice means to experience God’s grace and enjoy Him for who He is. One of my favorite translations comes from Eugene Peterson where he says that we should be “cheerfully expectant.”
One of the main reasons we rejoice is that we have hope. Not only the hope of our life to come, but the promise of God working things for the good. We hope, because Jesus has defeated death and offers us life.
We persevere because we have hope, which is more accessible when we are rejoicing in it.
To commit yourself to prayer, is talking less about bringing you list of sins and wishes to God but more of simply communing with God. Prayer is relationship and relationship is prayer.
So how do we “hold up through the hard times?” We pray. We rejoice. We hope.
Take some time to commune with the Lord. Ask Him to show you all the things you can rejoice in. Now sit and listen for a minute. Time yourself if you need. Write down everything He lays on your heart. Now get to rejoicing.
Two Minutes with God 