Devotion #2: Praise Him in the Hallway
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:1-5
The Lord really knows what we need to hear at the perfect time! This passage is so perfect for me to hear right now, “Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace.” We receive grace from God and forgiveness of all sins because of the faith we have in Him. No matter the circumstance, we find comfort in the knowledge that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has given us His abundant grace. We all make poor decisions daily, whether we mean to or not, it is our nature. We may look back and say, “I should have handled that differently,” and seek forgiveness from the person we have wronged, but it is not always guaranteed that they will be gracious and quick to forgive. However, the Lord has promised His grace for all believers, and we should take comfort in that.
That sounds great, and it stops there, right? Wrong. The next part of these verses is the hard part, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance.” How am I supposed to rejoice in the sufferings? How do I find joy and thankfulness when I have just lost a loved one or doors keep getting repeatedly slammed in my face? I like to say, “Praise Him in the hallway.” It is a phrase I have to remind myself of daily. It is far from easy, and I struggle with it often, but I know that, ultimately, the Lord has a plan. I need to give up the control that I think I have over my life to let God take the reins. The more you rely on Him through the trials you face, the stronger your relationship with Him becomes, which leads me to my last point.
The last two verses are my favorite, “And endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” If you claim to be a Christian, your behavior (which ultimately means your character or the way people perceive you) will show whether or not you truly follow God. The more Christ-like you become, the deeper your relationship with God will be. He has given us our individual characteristics and gifts; now, we need to learn how to use them for His good.
If you are waiting to hear “yes” from Him, or if you have already heard the “no,” remember to praise Him in the hallway until He opens the door you are supposed to enter.