“Do not forget to rejoice, for hope is always just around the corner. Hold up through the hard times that are coming, and devote yourselves to prayer” (Romans 12:12, The Voice).

The more traditional ESV translation puts it this way: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

But I really like that hope is aways just around the corner. It’s nearby but always shows up unexpectedly. That’s how God is, always near and showing up in ways you’d least expect but in hindsight could not have been better.

Also, the hard times are coming. It’s not a matter of if but when. They will come. Jesus didn’t say that in this world you might have troubles. He said you would. But even the worst of the trials has an expiration date. But God’s faithfulness doesn’t.

To be devoted to prayer is to be intentional about it. For me, that means that I have to make margin in my schedule for prayer. I have to prioritize it above anything and everything else that could easily distract me and keep me from it.

But in all things, we’re still called to rejoice. Hope is nearby, hardships don’t last, and prayer still works. That’s a good enough reason to celebrate, I think.

Sometimes, the way God orchestrates my life amazes me. I think about my time in marching and symphonic band, sitting in my chair and learning how to count bars. I was never the best trumpet player, but I enjoyed being a part of an ensemble that could at times make beautiful music.

Little did I know that years later, all that experience counting bars would pay off in a totally unrelated way. As a tech volunteer for my church, I help the church worship by keeping up with the song lyric slides during the worship songs. Part of that involves knowing time signatures and counting bars between the choruses and the verses.

God often uses experiences like that, along with the different kinds of people you meet, to shape you for a future you probably have no idea right now that’s coming. In God’s economy, nothing is ever wasted. No single encounter with another living soul. Not even the most insignificant moments in your day. Every thing and every one serves a purpose in God’s plan for your life.

The key is teachability. Will you resist or will you learn? Will you defy or will you grow? Once you begin to cultivate a spirit of humility and surrender and learning, then you open yourself up for God to use in ways that you could not even fathom right now. Your mind can’t conceive and your imagination can’t dream up the ways God could act in your life toward yourself and others. That should probably be in the Bible somewhere. Oh wait . . .

Lord, help me to pay attention to all the little details of my daily life. Help me to remember that all the boring and mundane is preparing me for a future that only You can see. Amen.

One of Jesus’ last words on the cross was a quotation of Psalm 31:5: “Into your hands I commit my spirit.”

Not only was that another fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, but it was a statement of profound trust in the Father that if Jesus willingly laid down His life, the Father could raise Him up again. It was Jesus in His humanity showing perfect faith.

That’s a good place to leave anything — worries, doubts, future trouble, present trouble. Into Your hands and out of my own hands. It’s a statement of surrender, a declaration of dependence.

In good or bad, in turmoil or peace, in suffering or prosperity, in life or in death, we are safe in the Father’s hands. Our concerns, our possessions, our relationships, our families, our very selves are safe to entrust into the Hands that bore the nails for us.

We are in good hands.

Now that I’m back on social media, one of my favorite things that brings me a little joy are videos of aliens telling jokes. Actually, the jokes are from these three guys who apparently tell jokes while they’re hunting, so they’re always whispering and giggling softly.

The best part isn’t the jokes. They’re the usual run-of-the-mill Dad jokes, most of which I’ve heard before. But the reactions always crack me up. The ones hearing the jokes always act like 1) they’ve never heard anything like it in their entire lives and 2) it’s the absolute funniest thing they’ve ever heard.

This is one example to give you a taste (pun intended) of what these videos are like. Again, don’t expect the jokes to be great. Some of them are corny and some are just dumb. But the reactions are the best part.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1363953131586503

Sometimes, you just need a little laugh on a Monday.

If God is for you, who can ever be against you? What is there that you will ever face that Jesus hasn’t already overcome by His cross? That said, how will you live in the light of God’s favor? How will your outlook be different because God is on your side?

Those who have hoped in Jesus should be the most joyous, fulfilled, alive people on the planet because of what God in Jesus has done for us. If not, then maybe we don’t really understand grace.