Joyful in Hope | EP 137

Sheryl, Carrie Kittinger, and Veronica Scott discuss how to find strength in God's presence while waiting for answers. Trials can offer opportunities for spiritual growth and ministering to others. The key components of a faithful prayer life are in Romans 12:12 to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. They encourage viewers to maintain a constant, obedient connection through prayer, trusting that God's timing is perfect and that a faithful prayer does not return void.

Show Notes

The episode focuses on the scripture Romans 12:12: "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer."

Joyful in Hope

• Hope is Joy in the Wait:  We don't hope for what we already have, making hope the joy in the waiting [01:28]. They connect this to James 1:2, to "consider it all joy when you face trials," because the process is for the perfecting of the saints [01:53].

• Welcoming His Presence: True joy in the wait comes from welcoming and entering into God's presence through prayer and worship [02:50].

• Abiding and Grafting: The act of waiting is likened to a planted seed's job to abide and remain in the soil for growth [04:15]. They discuss the miracle of being grafted into Jesus, which enables believers to bear much fruit [07:26].

Patient in Affliction

• Choosing Praise Over Bitterness: The discussion moves to the example of Paul and Silas [08:20], who chose to praise and worship God in the inner prison while chained and afflicted. This choice led to the miraculous opening of the prison doors and the salvation of the jailer [09:43].

• The Attitude Check: They highlight that choosing to grumble causes us to "crumble" [10:17], contrasting this with choosing faith and remembering what God has done [10:42].

• God Appointments:  The importance of deciding ahead of time that God is a good Father [14:08]. They share a story of one of Sheryl's mothers who ministered and prayed for her doctors while she herself was afflicted, showing that trials can be "God appointments" for us to be about the Father's business [15:26].

Faithful in Prayer

• Asking, Seeking, and Knocking: Faithfulness in prayer is defined by the consistent, continuous action of asking, seeking, and knocking on the door of heaven [17:47].

• Power of Agreement: A key encouragement is to support one another through prayer, emphasizing the power of being sensitive to reach out to people and letting them know you are praying [20:01].

• New Mercies for Today:  It concludes with the encouraging thought of breaking down faithfulness into manageable parts: "Can I be joyful in hope today? Can I be patient in affliction today? Can I be faithful in prayer today?"—knowing we have new mercies for tomorrow [22:43].