Persevering Through Troubling Days

I’m Rev Jay Stuart Glover welcome to Faith Talk. We are living, and persevering through difficult times. As we clearly see the news events of  everyday  we are realizing that we are currently being evicted from the normalcy of our lives. Some people believe it is for the better, while others feel as though we are navigating  into dangerous waters. 

The good news is that we, by the grace of God, remain hopeful in the midst of uncertainty and momentary chaos. 

The Apostle Paul offers these words:

Romans 12:12 (NIV)
¹²  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  

I love this invitation to embrace joy in our hopefulness. To embrace hope means: “to anticipate with a confident expectation.” 

Father Brian Massingale, writes: “Hope is the expectation of a new future” He says “Hope is the belief that things can and will be radically other than how they are now.”

 Our hope for a brighter tomorrow, allows our hearts and minds to joyfully transcend beyond the tensions  of our current struggle. And yes we are in a complex struggle.  

 Our hope allows us to be joyfully lifted, resurrected from despair and desolation. The good news is also that not only do we have a confident expectation of a better tomorrow, but we also have the presence of God with us today. As a person of faith I believe that God does not take us out of the struggle,  but  God  enters into our struggle and walks with us, talks with us, strengthens us  and leads us along  our journey.  

And for this reason we can be, as the Apostle Paul says we are to be “patient in affliction.” 

  When we hear the word “patient” we often associate patience with “waiting.” But I want to let you know that a closer look at the language of the text reveals that being “patient” in affliction,  points,  not simply to waiting for things to go away,  but  persevering in and through the adversity with a proactive due diligence. It implies bravely enduring in and   through our affliction with wisdom, faith, intentionality and deliberate strategies in place. 

With all the people losing jobs, these days,   Patience in affliction means that we may increasingly need to bear one another’s burdens and sorrows, helping one another and pressing on in unity.   Let us be a courageous  people in these days of challenges  who look beyond their own needs and are willing to give of themselves for the betterment of a neighbor in need. People are experiencing compromised wellness, physically, psychologically, economically and spiritually. So let’s be attentive to the needs of others in our communities. 

The Apostle Paul also encouraged us to be “faithful in prayer.” Prayer means so much to us. Prayer is often thought of as us talking to God. And yes we certainly do that. What a privilege we have to carry everything to God in prayer. We can express to God our innermost concerns, our highs and our lows. We can tell  God of our greatest concerns, our fears, our burdens, our `````sorrows and our joy. But we can also in our reflective moments in prayer hear from God. God graciously speaks to us as we engage in a two-way dialogue that we call prayer time. God leads, guides and directs us.  So be encouraged today to continually attend to a time of prayer ask God for wisdom in how to go forward. People are developing strategies to navigate through the uncertainty which is great. I just want to remind us to be faithful in prayer so that we may be led in the right direction.  

I’m Rev Jay Stuart Glover and you are listening to “Faith Talk.” These episodes are available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube and other podcast platforms. Please share with family and friends. Visit www.revjaystuartglover.com where you can subscribe. leave a review,  leave your comments and  reach out to  me directly by email  God bless you and thank you for joining our global listening audience.  Please remember 

Romans 12:12 (NIV)
¹²  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer

Amen