Rest and Reset: A 30-Day Devotional to Revive JoySample

Rejoicing in hope.

Prayer aligns your heart with hope when you pray in faith. Often, people believe that rejoicing only happens after a miracle, a great blessing, or an answered prayer. However, true rejoicing is not dependent on our circumstances but connected to the hope of the cross. When Paul discussed a Christian's conduct in Romans 12, he started by urging us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord. This sacrifice is not only physical but spiritual, offering sacrificial praise and prayers during tribulation when life is turned upside down. It also involves steadying our souls when life is good. To rejoice in hope means fixing our eyes on the hopeful ending we have in Christ.

The Bible says in Romans 12:12, “‘rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.’ While we rejoice in hope, we must remain steadfast in prayer. It’s our lifeline and the only reliable means of communication with God.

When I was a teenager, I would gather the kids from our neighborhood along with my sisters and lead them in prayer at noon each day. No matter what they were doing outside, at noon during the summer, we prayed. At that young age, I believed praying would help me. Fast forward about twenty-five years, and I still hold to this belief. Prayer and supplication aren’t just made for the desires in our hearts; they are spiritual disciplines that ground and create a soil within one’s heart that is dependent on God. Prayer says, Lord, I need You!

Hannah sacrificially postured her heart to prayer when she faced barrenness in 1 Samuel. Scripture describes her patience over the years as she and her family worshipped in Shiloh. Not only did she endure the shame of not bearing a child, but her adversary, Peninnah, also provoked her to despair. Our enemy, Satan, uses this same tactic—taking a situation we're facing and trying to use it against us while we wait. Hannah refused to let the teasing or her sorrow keep her from going to the temple to pray to God. She made a vow to the Lord and prayed, “O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid…” Eli, the priest, mistakenly thought she was drunk, but the truth is her heartfelt lament gave her hope as she prayed.

In some moments, she said nothing, only mumbling with her lips stirred from her heart. Hannah released her sorrow that day and filled herself with hope. A joyful hope that would carry her until her petition was answered through the birth of her first son, Samuel.

Paul’s encouragement to us is practical; we should rejoice, be patient, and pray always. How often have you prayed about your situation? Turn your heart toward God in humility and dedicate your time and devotion to honest prayer, trusting that God will restore your joy.

Be encouraged.