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
I read the verse above a few days ago, and it totally struck a chord with me and has been the cry of my heart ever since. At first hearing, the verse above may not sound like much, but when you really think about it, there is an incredible message here that I pray will permeate your hearts. He writes, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him. Paul first identifies God as the source of hope. Then he proceeds to pray that the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace, AS WE TRUST IN HIM. Our only duty here is to trust and He does the rest!
Hope is defined as a desire with expectation, and with expectation comes an element of trust. For example, I deposit my money in the bank because I trust that it will be kept safe. I dont ever worry about my money in the bank not being there when I want to make a withdrawal because I trust the bank. But the truth of the matter is that the bank can certainly fail me. There could be a glitch in the system and I could lose all my money. I can also place my trust in people, but the trust is that they can also fail me!
However, there is someone that can be trusted that will NEVER fail us; God. Testimonies of people throughout Scripture have proved this to be true and I hope that we can find hope even in that. His selfless act for us on the cross proved this to be true, and I pray that we find hope in that. Even Paul writes in Romans 15:4, For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope. Read through the Scriptures often and let its words and testimonies strengthen your trust and faith in the Lord!
When we trust in the Lord, He fills us with all joy and peace and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we overflow with hope. Having hope does not mean that life for us will be a walk in the park, but the kind of hope that the Lord offers is the kind that sustains believers even when they suffer. It is the kind of hope that declares, Though he slay me, I will yet praise Him. It is the kind of hope that says, I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. It is the kind of hope that boldly says in the face of trials, If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods.
I believe that Paul enjoyed the kind of hope that he prayed the Romans would have! He understood that as Christ reigned in the believing/trusting heart, joy and peace and an overwhelming comfort in hope would be the blessed byproducts. These cannot be conjured up by our best human efforts, but when we trust in the Lord, He gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit, and through Him, we have power to do all things, even to hope amidst the most seemingly impossible situations.
Do you want this kind of hope? Then trust in Him! Really get to know and trust in the Lord! It really is that simple! Please make the prayer above the cry of your heart today!
Grace and peace be with you.
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A PRAYER FOR HOPE