Be constant in prayer
When I came across this verse the other day:
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
I posted it on my Instagram Story, with this subsequent thought:
And while what I wrote remains true, I’d like to expand my thoughts and get to what I think Paul is saying in this verse specifically.
As believers we have an eternal hope and therefore we should rejoice always (Phil. 4.4). Paul isn’t reminding us to rejoice when times are good. He’s simply stating a simple imperative: rejoice in hope. No timestamp, no qualifiers, no strings attached. We’ve been given the only hope that will stand the test of time and tribulation, we should rejoice in it, always.
The next imperative Paul gives is to ‘be patient in tribulation’. Which is much harder to get excited about than rejoicing in hope but remains just as vital to our sanctification. The obvious question to ask is ‘If we have an eternal hope, then how could we let a time-limited tribulation get us down?’ The answer is complicated by our struggle with sin and our inability to think on an eternal timescale. We often can’t see past what’s going on in our immediate vicinity, especially when what is going on is less than ideal. But this is where we have to trust in God’s promises to us, where we have to lean into that hope.
If we have an eternal hope, if God is good, if his promises are true, then we must be patient in our tribulations. My mom always said to me growing up, ‘this too shall pass.’ And so far she hasn’t been wrong, the tough stuff passes, often with lessons to learn from how well, or poorly, I handled it. By having the commitment to patience in our tribulations, we’re actively trusting God to see us through to the otherside, to turn what is evil to good, and to be with us through it. We are taking a posture of submission by trusting God and not trying to control what we can’t control.
The last imperative Paul gives is to ‘Be constant in prayer.’ This command goes equally well with both that proceed it. Our relationship with God, just like any other relationship, is built on communication and trust. If we aren’t communicating with God it becomes hard to trust him, it’s that simple. So if we want to rejoice in the hope he gives to those he has redeemed, we need to be with him in prayer. If we want to get through this latest tribulation without losing our minds or playing god, then we need to be with him in prayer.
That need to be with God in prayer, so simply stated in this verse by Paul, is really what grabbed my attention when I ran across it the other day. Too often I’m too busy trying to reason through an unreasonable situation or trying to do damage control for something I’ve said without thinking that I don’t even stop to go to God in prayer about it. That’s a hard thing to realize because I know I should be praying. We’re told about its importance over and over and over again throughout the scriptures and yet here I am trying to solve situations without even bothering to consult God about it.
What I find funny about this is that God is showing the example by being patient in the midst of my tribulation. He’s there, waiting for me to come to him, ready to listen. Yet another example of God never telling us to do anything he hasn’t already done himself, generally on our behalf. He’s clever like that.
My take away, after revisiting this verse again, is simple: rebuild a foundation of prayer in my life. It's going to take work but I know that the Holy Spirit is ready and waiting to get started.