Frontline Daily Devotion - Day 20 - Joy is My Strength
ROMANS 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
This is a three-fold command of God, but also a singular command. First, I must keep my joy as I await the things I am hoping for. WHY? Because the joy of the Lord is my strength. I need strength to hold on, to keep moving forward. Secondly, I am to be patient in affliction. Literally, I am a patient, with a sickness, an ailment, or an infirmity. WHY? Because you need to have faith and confidence in the Word of God, not in the symptoms of your problems. The doctor is on the way. Finally, I am to be faithful in prayer. Not just full of faith as I pray, but to continue in prayer. WHY? The fervent, effectual prayer of a righteous man avails much. Prayer keeps me connected to the Lord, the only one who can answer my prayer. Each of these commands reminds us of the promises of God, which are yes and amen in Him. The theme of the entire verse is to remind us that God is coming. I might have to wait, I might have to keep my hope up, I might have to suffer, but if I keep praying, relief is coming. God has never broken a promise; God will never break a promise. If my need, my circumstance, or my situation does not line up with the Word of God, then I must wait on the faithfulness of God to manifest on my behalf. I must tarry until the power comes.
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