Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12 NIVUK
What do you tell someone who is suffering? What do you say to someone whose life is hard? How do you comfort someone who is being persecuted?
I know what you're thinking: 'Paul, you write these meditations. Shouldn't you be doing that'? But I'm not asking how I would do it. No, I'm asking how you would do it.
In 2001 I served as a short-term missionary in a small Pentecostal church in Tulcea, Romania, where practically every church member had endured persecution of some sort or other, or was still enduring it then.
The city is full of ethnic and religious minority groups. There are even twelve different types of Romany living there. Not to mention multiple different varieties of Orthodox believers. I actually came across one church where they worshipped in an ancient Slavonic language that was older than Russian!
Each of these groups are fiercely loyal. So when someone believes something different, it's bad news.
As I stood in front of that little congregation, I was honest with them. They had much to teach me. I told them they should be in the pulpit and I should be in the pews.
Thankfully they didn't take me up on it. The pulpit was quite narrow. There would have been a crush. But the sentiment was true. As a relatively privileged Westerner I had much to learn from the deep faith, commitment and courage of my Romanian brothers and sisters.
Paul here is writing to a persecuted church. They are living in the very city from where the persecution came. They were as close as possible to the epicentre in an incredibly hostile environment.
So the words Paul shares here are very striking indeed. Although in English this seems like an instruction, like an order, in the Greek it's a little different. It reads literally like this:
In hope, rejoicing
In affliction, patient
In prayer, faithful
Paul is discussing the three states Christians should be in and how they can set their minds to overcome their circumstances. What you see is not a compassionate, "There, there", accompanied by a social distance busting hug. Or even just an offer to pray for them.
No, Paul says something more profound and effective than that. Paul gives them the secret to resilience. Paul tells them how to make it through the suffering they are enduring.
This is no great secret, but this nine word list in ancient Greek could change our lives too.
Let's look at the first three: JOYFUL IN HOPE.
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