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."
The God of hope has given you a pathway and power for overflowing hope.
God is known as the God of hope. In our world that is full of rebellion and wickedness, God is not just hopeful. He calls himself the God of hope. He is not blind in his hope. He sees everything clearly. He alone knows the depths and the expanse of human rebellion. He feels the weight of billions of his created ones turning their backs on him. And he calls himself the God of hope.
In his incredible mercy, God provides a pathway for us to participate in his hope. His Son, Jesus, sacrificed himself on the cross so that we could have great hope. The death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus gives us the solid foundation for hope. Otherwise, our hope would be based on feelings or an inspiring moment. The hope that Jesus brings is a certain pathway to the richest reward - intimate, eternal relationship with God.
Not only does God provide the pathway for hope, but he gives us power to experience this hope today. That comes from the power of the Holy Spirit. His intention is that you would experience the joy and peace that comes with his hope. You might wonder how this power of the Holy Spirit is accessed to know such hope. God is a good Father. He always gives us a practical step of obedience that we can do. We are called to trust him. This will lead to the activation of the Spirit's power in our lives. Trust isn't always easy. But, it is possible for us to do. Also, Romans 15:4 says, "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." When you obediently fill yourself with God's words, you are filling yourself with hope. You can partner with the Holy Spirit and be consistently filled to overflowing with hope.
Notice how God wants you to experience overflowing hope. He is not stingy, giving you just enough hope to last one day. Do you live with the constant infilling and pouring out of God's hope - his overflowing hope?
