You Will Abound In Hope
Romans 15:13 The God of hope will fill you with all joy and peace in believing
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13 NASB1995
Hope. Four little letters with such a huge impact. We all use the word frequently - “I hope I remembered to feed the cats this morning”, “I sure hope the car starts”, “I hope my friend is cured of his cancer.” In this one short verse from the epistle to the Romans, Paul provides a salutation to his readers that expounds on what we can expect from God as believers.
The God of hope: Paul points out that God is both the Source and Giver of hope. The benefits of belief — hope, joy, and peace — all come from God and cannot be possessed apart from God. We can only possess the benefits as He gives them to us.
Joy: Alexander Mclaren provides a brilliant description of the joy given by the God of hope to Christian believers:
If I am living in an atmosphere of trust, then sorrow will never be absolute, nor have exclusive monopoly and possession of my spirit. But there will be the paradox, and the blessedness, of Christian experience, ‘as sorrowful yet always rejoicing.’ For the joy of the Christian life has its source far away beyond the swamps from which the sour drops of sorrow may trickle, and it is possible that, like the fabled fire that burned under water, the joy of the Lord may be bright in my heart, even when it is drenched in floods of calamity and distress.1
Peace in believing: Peace, defined in a writeup of Romans 15 from Precept Austin, is
“freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions. Peace in this verse is that inward state of quiet which is independent of circumstances and is that inner attitude which God’s Spirit gives His people. Note that this peace is only possible after one has been justified by faith and experienced peace with God. In short, peace with God must precede and is the basis for the peace of God. 2
Abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit: as followers of Christ, we should all be abounding in hope! We should always be the people who show the inner strength and the power of the Holy Spirit to look toward an uncertain future with enthusiasm visible to everyone we meet. God gives us hope, the knowledge that He will do good for us in the future.
What an amazing verse! Paul never ceases to amaze me, with his letters of encouragement, correction, and — of course — hope.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Loving Father, I cannot help but feel incredible joy when I realize how much love You have for me! You are my God of Hope, and I know that hope is anchored in your unchangeable Word. Give me the ability to share your truth with everyone I come in contact with today, to your praise and glory. In Christ’s name, AMEN.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org.
Mclaren, Alexander. Joy and Peace in Believing.
Precept Austin. Notes on Romans 15.