Be Joyful (Nico Marais)

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“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Romans 12:12 (NIV)
It seems unreasonable to expect people to be joyful at this challenging time. How can we be joyful while stuck at home, under financial pressure, unwell or even grieving? Surely this is no time to be joyful…
And yet, Paul writes this to the church in Rome among various other things that does not make sense. It points to the eternal hope we have in Jesus Christ. The kind of hope that the world does not understand, but longs for. The kind of joy that many people look for in circumstances, but is actually rooted in the knowledge of Christ and fired up by the Spirit. The kind of joy that looks beyond the here-and-now with hope at its core. Joy that does not deny heartache and grief, but transcends them.
I’ll admit that I’m not always joyful. I get low real fast. But what helps is when I’m reminded that my current circumstances are not the end of my story. A new day is coming. New mercies will come again.
Father God, thank you that the peace and joy you give is eternal. Fill me with your joy again, and give me the faith to put my hope in you. Amen.

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