Putting Feet to Our Prayers

 

November 19, 2025

Romans 12:12–13 

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer… Practice hospitality.”

In Romans 12, Paul invites the followers of Jesus into a rhythm of life that unites heaven’s hope with earth’s needs. Earlier in Romans 12 the Apostle issued his call to believers to become “living sacrifices,” individuals whose entire lives are shaped by God’s mercy. Paul illustrates this in daily, ordinary, and relational ways.

“Be joyful in hope.”

Christian hope is not wishful thinking, like "I hope it doesn't snow tomorrow," Christian hope is the settled confidence that God keeps His promises. What this means is that joy can break through even on he most difficult of days because our hope isn’t rooted in circumstances but in Christ. As we pray for our neighborhoods or walk our streets, this joy reminds us that God is already at work.

“Be patient in affliction.”

Affliction, whether personal burdens, community tensions, or the brokenness we see around us, does not have the final word. The Patience mentioned here means steadfast endurance, the willingness to keep showing up in prayer, even when answers seem delayed or situations remain unchanged. This outlook,and confidence in God, keeps us from giving up on people, places, or God’s timing.

“Be faithful in prayer.”

Prayer is what binds hope and patience together. Faithfulness in prayer is the steady returning of our hearts to God, again and again. So that when we pray over our neighborhoods, we do so with expectancy, because we are participating in God’s redemptive work: lifting homes, families, and streets before Him. 

“Practice hospitality.”

If read Romans 12, you will notice that the Apostle Paul shifts from prayer to practice. This shift is not to add a burden to us followers of Jesus, rather it is to show us that prayer naturally leads to tangible love. Hospitality in the Bible means making space for others. Sometimes that looks like opening our homes; other times, it looks like opening our schedules, our listening, our compassion. What Paul is teaching here is that as we pray for our community, hospitality flows out of our prayers of intercession, hospitality is the way we embody the love we’ve been praying for.

Perhaps the key take away form our verse today is that this Bible passage shows us the way that intercession and action work together. We pray with hope. We endure with patience. And then we step into our neighborhoods with open hearts and open hands. What I am suggesting is that hospitality becomes the lived expression of the prayers we offer. As we pray for God’s peace, blessing, and presence to rest on every home, we also become willing vessels of that peace, blessing, and presence. We put feet to our prayers!

Let's Pray

Lord, shape our hearts with Your hope. Give us patience where there is struggle, and strengthen us to be faithful in prayer. As we pray for our neighbors, teach us to love them in practical ways. May our homes, our conversations, and our actions reflect Your welcome. Use us in such a way that our community may glimpse Your goodness through us. Amen.