The Promise of Hope
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 (NIV)
I love this promise for today. It is filled with hope, joy, peace and power! So much rolled up into one amazing promise! But as with many promises, there is a premise, a condition we must meet. If we are to experience the hope God promises that will fill us with all joy and peace, we must put our trust in God! Look at the verse again, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him ...” In whom are you trusting? In your ability? Your resources? Your talent? Your intelligence? Or perhaps you’ve placed your trust in others, a husband or wife or business associate, maybe the government or your job? None of these are a reliable and constant source of hope. Paul tells us in this promise that God is the God of hope! That’s good news in a bad news world right now! So many of the things and people and systems we’ve placed our trust in have failed us and will ultimately fail us. Why? Because they aren’t God. He alone is the source of hope, and He longs to fill us until we overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit who indwells us! Wow! This means that you and I get to determine the amount of hope we have; the amount of joy we have; the amount of peace we have and the amount of power! God’s supply is illimitable! It is only determined by the amount you and I trust in Him.
If your hope has run out, your joy faded and your peace shattered, turn to God, the source of them all! We don’t have the power to generate hope when we feel hopeless or joy when we are discouraged or peace when we are anxious and afraid. But God does! And He is more than capable of filling you until you overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit! This is the inheritance of the Christ follower! At one time we were all “without hope” the Bible says in Ephesians 2:12. Why? Because we were without God! When you are without God, you are without hope! But now, in Christ we have hope! He is our blessed hope! Not only do we as Christ followers have hope, but we also have joy and peace and power according to this promise in Romans 15:13. These are all available to us through the power of the Holy Spirit as we trust in Him.
Whenever I’m feeling hopeless, without joy and a loss of peace, it’s a good indicator to me that I’ve been trusting in someone or something else. In that moment it’s time to repent and turn back to the only source of hope. As I put my trust in Him, He is faithful to fill me to overflowing again! This doesn’t mean that I’ll be exempt from pain or problems, but that the God of hope is bigger than whatever I’m facing, and He has more than enough to supply me with all I need. In fact, it’s in those very times of trial and sorrow that He comes with an abundant supply of hope and joy and peace that passes understanding and shows a watching world the victory that is ours in Christ despite any circumstance!
This is my prayer for you this Christmas – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 (NIV) Make it your promise to claim today!