Rejoicing, patience, and prayer

Romans 12:12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;

Romans 12:12 is in the middle of a shotgun style set of instructions for believers from the Apostle Paul. It is easy to miss the details when you get a whole lot of instruction in a short space. As I was doing some reading in Romans 12 this morning this verse tucked away in the middle of a passage loaded with commands jumped out at me. That's the way it always seems to be for me. I can just be reading along in a passage of scripture that I have read hundreds of times before, and a verse or portion of a verse will jump out at me with fresh new meaning.

I often preach three point outlines. Someone asked me once, "Why do all your sermons have three points?" I had no good explanation. The next Sunday I preached four just to break up the monotony. The following Sunday I went back to three. It just seems to work with the allotted time. I have trouble handling more than three thoughts at a time. Three seems to be my limit. I can go to the grocery store without a list if I need three things. Add a fourth and I need a list or I'll forget something. So maybe it has more to do with the limitations of the preacher than anything else.

So maybe Romans 12:12 jumps out at me today because it contains three thoughts: 1) rejoicing 2) patience 3) prayer. I have never seen the connection between the three ideas as clearly as I do today in this verse. These are not three isolated items. Paul is connecting them here, weaving them together. How can you be patient in the middle of a trial? If you are rejoicing in the hope that you have in Christ it will make it easier. If you are continuing to pray consistently it will help you with both 1 and 2.

I have been fortunate to be exposed to some believers along the way who had really consistent prayer lives. One key ingredient to all of their prayer lives was extended times of private praise and adoration of the Lord. I have come to understand that the element of praise and adoration flows naturally for the person who has a consistent prayer life. Praise and adoration of the Lord leads to rejoicing. You can not praise God for who He is and what He has done without rejoicing! It will will get you happy! Once a person gets up off their knees and reengages the material world, they can not just cut off that rejoicing that they were doing while they were praying. The attitude of rejoicing and gratitude before the Lord lingers. It then affects how they handle the difficulties that come along. 

Pray consistently. It will help your attitude, which will help you cope with the trials life brings in a way that brings glory to God.