So many stories and possible teachings to me when I read this verse.

One is on business. (go figure)

Another is about leadership.

Yet another is about parenting.

And yes of course one is about relationships.

But we don’t have time to cover all of those in a single devotional!

Or do we?????????

Let’s dive deeper into this verse. Shall we?

What does it mean to be joyful in hope?

Does it mean that you are happy about every situation?

NO!

 

Does it mean that you have to smile at everyone and everything? As you might have heard somewhere, Grin and Bear it.

NO!

Does it mean that you should be able to in time find joy in every situation and circumstance that happens?

Yes.

When I think about finding joy in the hope, I think of going straight to the phrase that I have said for so long, everything happens for a reason. Then I would go on with, we might not like the reason, or understand the reason, heck the reason might be because we made a boneheaded mistake. Everything happens for a reason.

Finding Joy in Hope means that you can find joy in hoping (knowing, trusting) God’s plan and wisdom over your own.

We need to find joy in knowing that when he does something it is for us. When something happens that we might not enjoy 100% of the time, he knows what is best for us and he is saving us or them from future pain.

You see, to find joy in hope is HUGE.

Alright, let’s move on.

How can we be Patient in Affliction?

Let’s start with the definition of the patient. Webster’s dictionary defines patient as, 1. Bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint. 2: manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain, 3: not hasty or impetuous, 4: steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity.

Dan’s definition of patient is, Not getting upset or angry when things don’t go the way you expect them to.

And we all know that my definition is WAY better than Websters’.

Just kidding

kind of..

lol.

Let’s skip Webster’s definition of affliction and go straight to Dan’s definition, (because we all know it’s WAYYYY better anyways.)

Affliction is something or someone that causes pain and suffering. (Ok maybe our definitions are the same for this one.)

How do we have patience in affliction? That’s a great question and one that looks different for everyone.

It might be not getting upset when someone says the wrong thing.

Or maybe as a leader when someone makes a mistake and erases something extremely important you don’t get mad. Instead, you task them with fixing the issue.

Or maybe when your kids sit around the house on a Saturday morning watching tv or playing on their phones instead of doing something useful you don’t yell at them but instead ask them nicely to get OFF THEIR BUTTS AND EMPTY THE DISHWASHER!  Lol

Or maybe in your relationship it is knowing that something said in anger isn’t really true and you don’t hold that against them, or you understand that they might be upset about a situation and aren’t upset with you but are talking to you with tone. Not because of you but because they trust that they can confide in you.

Let’s move on to Faithful in Prayer.

When we are faithful it means that we do it often, we don’t stray, and there is no want in our hearts to leave or change.

Think about it.

Being faithful in a marriage is not running around kissing (or worse) anyone else. We are faithful to our spouse or significant other.

Being faithful to God is not praying to anyone except for him. Spending time in prayer and his word.

Being faithful in parenting is being there for your kids. Not running out to a party every night and letting them fend for themselves. It is having food in the house for them to eat, and providing the necessities they truly need, not what they want but what they need. 

Being faithful at work means that you don’t run around sharing your industry secrets with others who could use them to destroy the business. It also might mean that you care about your job and the people you work with. You show up on time every day and are there to do good work.

Prayer doesn’t require much of a definition; it means that you talk to God. It can be silent, out loud, in song form, in writing, however you want.

To be faithful in prayer means that you pray continually. When things are good and when they aren’t so good.

Don’t just pray when crap hits the fan, pray all the time! Pray with things that are great, pray when things are tough, pray when constantly!

Would you look at that, we did include how to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer in leadership, parenting, relationships, and business?

Now it’s time to Take action.

Take Action

This whole devotional talked about how to take action! 

Throughout it, we were giving your ideas of how to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer in your life.

The key for you is to put these in place now.

 For the business owner. You need to find hope when you don’t get the contract you thought was in the bag. Be patient with all of those you work with, especially when things happen that are a setback. Be faithful in prayer every day. Start by giving God your business and showing you how to grow it for him in the ways he wants you to grow it.

For the leader you could know that everything happens for a reason. Even when the reason might be that someone on your team made a boneheaded mistake. Instead of getting upset, use it as a learning experience. That pretty much covers both finding joy in hope and patience in affliction! You can also be faithful in prayer by praying before you enter any type of meeting, presentation, or brainstorming session.

For the parent, it might look like finding joy in dreaming with your kids about their future. Not losing your temper when your kids don’t look for things to do instead of spending the day doing nothing. And praying with them as a family weekly, daily, and before every meal.

In your relationship, it could be finding joy in things that you don’t enjoy. Knowing that it is for the better. Be patient when things do not go as you expected throughout your relationship. And pray together regularly. Sit on your bed, hold hands and pray!

So, get out there and take action.