“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12
“Patient” in this verse is the Greek word hypomeno. It is a verb that means, “To remain; not recede or flee; to persevere; under misfortunes and trials to hold fast to one’s faith in Christ; to endure, bear bravely and calmly ill treatments.”
This morning my study topic has been "Patience in Affliction."
To be honest everything about those three words makes me uncomfortable. Affliction is painful...The best way I can describe it is like literally being pressed/crushed in heart and in circumstance. Then I would describe patience as being the walls that keep you confined in that crushing space.
One of my absolute favourite quotes on this topic is from one of The Lord of the Rings movies. In this scene you find Sam and Frodo are very weary. They've been traveling alone trying to complete an almost impossible task with everything against them. They're weary at heart, and physically worn... Frodo breaks down crying, and physically collapses onto the ground, and Sam says these heart moving words.
"I know, It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here! But we are...It's like in the great stories, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't even want to know the end, because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was, when so much bad has happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think I do understand, I know now. The folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going, because they were holding onto something."
After these heart moving words, with tears filling his eyes, and with a weak voice, Frodo asked "What are we holding onto?"
And that's the question isn't it? What are we holding onto?
Which brings me to the topic of hope.
We have a reassurance and hope in Christ that the world does not, and cannot offer.
"In Christ alone, our hope is found," and our Joy that comes from the Lord is not based on circumstances. The verse that comes to mind is "The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)
Specifically take note as to how it says "The peace of God, which passes all understanding..." In other words, the Peace that we receive from God, to the world, doesn't even make sense! The peace we receive from God goes beyond worldly circumstances.
No matter what happens in this life, no matter the trials, or things that people do to us that are intended for harm. God will not leave us nor forsake us, and we will be by His side! No matter how bleak, hopeless, or dark things seem now. We have that assurance in Christ that the battle is already won, and this, what we are seeing now, this is not the end.
“Patient” in this verse is the Greek word hypomeno. It is a verb that means, “To remain; not recede or flee; to persevere; under misfortunes and trials to hold fast to one’s faith in Christ; to endure, bear bravely and calmly ill treatments.”
This morning my study topic has been "Patience in Affliction."
To be honest everything about those three words makes me uncomfortable. Affliction is painful...The best way I can describe it is like literally being pressed/crushed in heart and in circumstance. Then I would describe patience as being the walls that keep you confined in that crushing space.
One of my absolute favourite quotes on this topic is from one of The Lord of the Rings movies. In this scene you find Sam and Frodo are very weary. They've been traveling alone trying to complete an almost impossible task with everything against them. They're weary at heart, and physically worn... Frodo breaks down crying, and physically collapses onto the ground, and Sam says these heart moving words.
"I know, It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here! But we are...It's like in the great stories, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't even want to know the end, because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was, when so much bad has happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think I do understand, I know now. The folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going, because they were holding onto something."
After these heart moving words, with tears filling his eyes, and with a weak voice, Frodo asked "What are we holding onto?"
And that's the question isn't it? What are we holding onto?
Which brings me to the topic of hope.
We have a reassurance and hope in Christ that the world does not, and cannot offer.
"In Christ alone, our hope is found," and our Joy that comes from the Lord is not based on circumstances. The verse that comes to mind is "The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)
Specifically take note as to how it says "The peace of God, which passes all understanding..." In other words, the Peace that we receive from God, to the world, doesn't even make sense! The peace we receive from God goes beyond worldly circumstances.
No matter what happens in this life, no matter the trials, or things that people do to us that are intended for harm. God will not leave us nor forsake us, and we will be by His side! No matter how bleak, hopeless, or dark things seem now. We have that assurance in Christ that the battle is already won, and this, what we are seeing now, this is not the end.