Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.[1]
The God of Hope
Hope.
It’s a word that’s been marginalized and mass marketed.
Misused, misunderstood and, too often, simply missing.
How do you define hope?
Is it wishful thinking?
(I hope I win the lottery)
Pragmatic optimism?
(Hope for the best but expect the worst)
Maybe hope is the word you use when you’re not sure of how your life will work out.
(I hope I/my child/my spouse will be okay )
Or, perhaps, for you, hope is what you do when it’s all you have left.
I get it.
We’ve all been there.
These aren’t necessarily illegitimate uses of the word.
But the next time you need hope and it’s true meaning look to the God of Hope!
The meaning of the word hope in Romans 15:13 is “to look forward with confidence to that which is beneficial” and is related to two other words that mean “properly thinking forward” and to “turn away from what is lesser, to lay hold of the greater.”
In the turmoil of today and the uncertainty of tomorrow where can you find hope?
I’ve got some good news for you…. Hope came to find you.
He is the God of Hope and Jesus came into the world to bring hope to the hopeless.
Biblical hope is not just dreaming or optimistic belief.
Hope is tied to faith and love and is part of our character.
Hope is an essential and fundamental element of our relationship with the God of Hope.
It starts with faith in the God of Hope. (I often describe faith as believing that God is telling you the truth and then living like you believe Him!)
With this faith, comes Hope.
With this faith, every day, the promise of a new day finds hope rising in our hearts.
With this faith the voice of the God of Hope brings comfort and the promise of new beginnings.
Hope stirs our souls with the intense anticipation of;
Good.
Healing.
And Breakthrough.
Please pay attention when I say that hope for hope’s sake is useless and worthless.
But hope in the love and power of Jesus is an investment in unshakable truth!
So, from this day forward we choose to make the faith-filled choice to not build our hopes on our limited abilities, our ever-changing circumstances or the amount of money we may or may not have….
We choose to build our hope on the Foundation of Jesus Christ and the Unshakable God of Hope!
His presence…His power …. His promises.
The winds of hardship will blow.
The storms of life will rage.
But we have the God of Hope and His word has declares that,
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast …” – Hebrews 6:19
Believe that the God of Hope is telling you the truth … and live like it…Live in Hope.
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.[2]
[1] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ro 15:13). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[2] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ro 15:13). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.