Romans 12:12
Three more ways to worship God with practical action:
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Rejoice in Hope
Rejoice means to be glad. Hope means anticipation of something certain. Here God is not saying, “Be glad because something good might happen.” He’s saying, “Be glad because something good will happen.” This isn’t lottery ticket hope. This is the hope of the weekend that gets you through the work week. Hope in God is sure.
Worship God by being glad. How? By fixing your eyes on the hope you have in him. This requires trust. In essence, he’s saying to you, “I understand reality better than you do and I’m telling you, you have reason to be glad, even if you don’t understand it right now.”
Be Patient in Tribulation
To be patient means to remain, wait, endure and persevere. Tribulation can mean persecution, affliction or distress. Literally, it means the sensation of being pressed down and rubbed at the same time until you’re confined and can’t move.
Note, God doesn’t tell us how to escape tribulation. He tells us how to live through it. The bottom line is, stress is a fact of life in this fallen world. But it doesn’t have to destroy you. Stress is an opportunity to worship because patience in tribulation is a form of worship.
Be Constant in Prayer
This doesn’t mean to pray every second. It means to persevere and by strenuous work, keep on praying. Don’t let anything pull you away from praying regularly.
A Word on Worship
We are made to worship God. Worshipping God is far more than singing a handful of songs once a week at church. It includes all sorts of practical actions we can take today, wherever we are and in whatever circumstances we find ourselves.
Discussion Starters
- How was everyone’s week?
- How hard is it for you to rejoice (be glad) these days? Why?
- What Biblical promises do you need to look to for hope in order to rejoice right now?
- What tribulation (stress) are you experiencing right now?
- How we encourage each other to be patient (endure)?
- What forces most often pull you away from a life of prayerfulness? What can you do to fight them?
- Take some time to pray together.
