The God of Hope

December 2, 2022

Romans 15:13 - 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.

Have you gotten any Christmas Cards yet? I still love getting them, and giving them! I love letters and cards that I get in the mail! I like to think of today’s scripture as Paul’s to us. 

This prayer of Paul’s was for the Christians in Rome, and it’s often used as a closing benediction today. Christ came to serve the Jewish people as the fulfillment of God’s promises to them. But He also became the hope of the Gentile people around the world. The Old Testament prophesies reveal that God’s plan was always to receive praise from the Gentiles and to make it possible for them to be included in His grace.  So Paul is praying a blessing of hope, joy and peace for his Roman readers. 

I cannot think of a more fitting blessing to give and receive.  May God fill you with all joy and peace!  Not some, ALL! And then to abound in hope! Overflowing hope - that is the tingle of anticipation and sets your whole body on fire! Hope keeps us going, even when the going is rough.  It's the knowing that God has the best in store for His creation, for you and me.  Even when things seems hope-less, the Holy Spirit fans that tiny flame, keeping it alive until it can burst forth in joy, once more. 

It is such a privilege to have hope in God. We are safe in the arms of Jesus and nothing can separate us from the God of Hope – not the trails of things going on right now, or circumstances we know we’ll be facing in the future.

I pray that you are filled to overflowing with joy and peace of God which is already yours and is in you. Let’s share that hope with people we come into contact with today so that they too can feel the depth of God’s love.