Hold On to the Promise with Expectation
By: Diana Marshall-McCrorey
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer”
-Romans 12:12 ESV
On a chilly and misty November night in 2012, I sat in my car with tears streaming down my cheeks. I picked up the phone and dialed my mom. Barely able to speak through the tears. I muffled the words, “I can’t do this anymore. I want to give up.” My mom replied, “that is exactly what the devil wants but you must hold on to hope and pray continuously. You can’t give up!”
Didn’t I have hope? Or was it just a wish? What was the difference? According to Merriam-Webster to wish “is an act or instance of wishing or desire: to want.” However, hope is “the desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment.” Clearly there’s a difference and my wish only brought me more pain, anxiety, and stress. Whereas hope, hope gave me a peace and a joy unexplainable. I needed the latter.
After that call, I was still ready to throw in the towel. I opened my Bible, thumbing through the pages and fell on Romans. To be honest, I really didn’t want to read. I hadn’t the faintest idea what I was expecting to receive. Nevertheless, my eyes ran across Romans 12:12. I stopped and read it again with the dim light from above the street. It was as if the Lord himself was sitting in the passenger seat ministering to my weary, worn, and achy soul. “Rejoice in me, I AM your Hope. My promises are Yes and Amen. When I chose you and you followed, I said you’d have to pick up your cross. I said there will be trials. Now, you must bear your trials without complaint. Yet, while you are waiting on me, be faithful in prayer. Cry out to me. I see. I hear. I will answer you.”
Romans 12:12 gives us three commands:
1. Rejoice in hope
2. Be patient in tribulation
3. Be constant in prayer
This is how we show that we take God at His Word, and we trust in Him. Today, do you wish or hope? No matter what situation you find yourself in there is HOPE. He sees you. He hears you and as you call out to Him, He will answer you.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to model my life after you. During my trials, help me to rejoice in you, be patient and constantly pray as I wait with expectation knowing that you will answer. Amen.
Go Deeper: Jeremiah 33:3; Matthew 16:24-26; John 16:33; Romans 5:2; 2 Corinthians 1:20;
Hebrews 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:17
BIO: Diana Marshall-McCrorey is a daughter of the King, wife, and mother to seven. She resides in Charlotte, NC where she and her family attends Central Church of God and she serves in the Preschool Ministry.