Romans 12:12.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Hebrews 4:16.  Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hope, affliction and prayer are states of being.  We can either be joyful in our hope in Christ or despairing in our hope in the world; choose  joy.  We can either be patient through our momentary affliction or recklessly impatient in our handling of difficulty;  choose patience. We can either be faithful in prayer to God or doubtful in His plans for our lives; choose faith.  Approach God’s throne with steadfast confidence in your hope, patience and faith in Him, and receive His ever-flowing mercy and abundant grace.  God meets you in your time of need, whether your state of being is hope, suffering or prayer.  God loves when you come to Him confidently, joyfully, and faithfully. The author of hope, the giver of grace, and the river of mercy that is Christ is with you.

Photo: Middlebury, Vermont