Choosing to Hope Rather Than Despair

 Tribulation- a cause of great trouble or suffering.

My God tells me to be patient in my great suffering. What do I think that means? Does it matter what I think it means? What matters is what it does mean- Patient… accepting suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious. 

Accept the suffering. Is there a certain sense of relief in accepting the suffering rather than railing against it, fighting to get rid of the awfulness? We do that, we fight. We are engulfed in the pain of life. The pain of our bodies degrading in various ways as we age. The pain of our loved ones suffering and our being unable to relieve any of that suffering. The pain of our hearts being crushed by grief. We are to accept all this pain when our very soul screams so loud our minds are lost to hear anything but our cry as it reverberates through our entire existence. 

Accepting the suffering WITHOUT becoming annoyed or anxious.

Accepting the suffering. 

We really have little choice but to accept when the suffering comes. We'd stop it if we could, We'd change things if it were possible. We have to accept it, but how that acceptance manifests itself is something we can try to influence, right?

God tells us to accept our suffering without being upset or worried, and he tells us that we are to rejoice in HOPE, we are to CONTINUE in prayer instantly.

How do we accept our suffering? With hope and prayer.

Without hope and prayer we will flounder our way through our sufferings, our tribulations. 

Is it possible to get through tribulations in our life without hope and prayer? Ask any atheist and they'll tell you that of course it is possible. They may even scoff at the suggestion hope and prayer do anything at all. They may be very proud of their ability to take charge of their lives in times of deep anguish and push through it, rationalize it as they believe they must. 

My God offers me help in my tribulation, and I'll be the first to admit I need His help desperately. I need the HOPE He alone offers! I need the ability to communicate with my God. I need to know beyond doubt there truly is a reason for all the suffering that takes place, and that ALL the suffering even the most unfair kind, is temporary to eternity.  

Rejoice in HOPE, patient in TRIBULATION, continuing instant in PRAYER.

Tribulation is surrounded on either side by Hope and Prayer.

My God is in control… 

For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Isa. 41:13

Satan would have us despair- to lose all hope- to wallow in the darkest recesses of our abysmal anguish. 

The war I'm fighting with my grief is choosing to hope rather than despair. 

I will weep, and by God's grace they will be tears of refreshing. The rain needing to pour from my heart to water the hope of my soul-- this is my prayer.  

Rom 12:12  Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer

Rejoice.  To give joy to. Delight, exult, glory. 

We aren't to rejoice simply for the sake of rejoicing. We are told to rejoice in HOPE. Rejoice in the HOPE of our SAVIOR!

'Why art thou cast down, O my soul,and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God. Psa 43.

HOPE, v.t. To desire with expectation of good, or a belief that it may be obtained

Rejoice in the expectation of good, in the belief the good will be obtained.  We aren't to rejoice in ourselves. We'll have tribulation so much tribulation in our lives. In that tribulation we must be patient. How can we be patient in tribulation- through hope, as we are instant in prayer.

Rom 12:15  Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 

Rejoice with me even as you weep with me. All by the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!