"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 NLT
Where is your hope? Did it mistakenly get lost? Did someone come and take it away or did life's delays and disappointments cause it to disappear?
John Piper defines biblical hope as the confident expectation that something good is going to happen in the future.
God wants you to have this kind of hope. The hope that is firm and steadfast and says, "No matter what my current situation looks like, I know that in the end, things are going to work out for me!"
Romans 15:13 tells us that God is our source of hope. That means that the source of our hope (the confident expectation that good things will happen in the future) evolve from Him and not from temporary sources like jobs, money, or people.
God is our source. Our reservoir. The place where we go for confidence, trust, affirmation and stability.
I believe Satan desires to rob us of having any hope. As a long-time Christian, I had to sit and ponder for an extended time about my own hope as I prepared to write this blog post. Did I have hope? Sure I have hopes...I "hope" this happens or I "hope" that happens, but I had to think about if I currently have active hope? Is my hope in God intentional, or is it adrift, complacent and lazy? Is my hope tank on full or has there been a slow leak?
I know from personal experience that it is possible to love God, serve faithfully at your church, and have an empty hope tank.
If you find yourself low in hope - -the confident expectation that good things are in your future -- or even lazy and complacent in your hope, today's scripture in Romans 15:13 will encourage you.
The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Rome and this particular scripture is like a prayer:
"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 NLT
A few nuggets to consider:
God is the source of our hope. If your hope tank is empty, run to the Source. God can and will give you and me what we need.
When our hope is in God, God fills us with joy and peace. We don't have to worry about trying to fill ourselves with joy and peace. God does this because we trust in Him.
When our hope is in God, not only are we filled with joy and peace but then we begin to overflow with hope. We run over and overflow in abundance with the confident expectation that great things are in store for the future. This is made possible by the Holy Spirit.
Isn't it good news that we can go to God, the source of hope for refueling our hope tanks? Isn't it wonderful to know that we don't have to do jumping jacks, squat jacks or push-ups to become filled with joy and peace? We don't have to work to be filled. Instead, God does that for us when we trust and place our confidence in Him.
How wonderful is that where we were once dry, lazy, and low on hope, we can become full, and filled to the brim, where we now OVERFLOW in hope. Isn't that just like God to take us from an empty place to a new place that runs over in abundance?
Expect God to overflow your hope tank today. Go to Him. Put your trust and confidence in Him. Satan may try to cloak you with worry or anxiety, but shake it off. Plant your spiritual feet firm and say aloud, "I'm going to trust God. My faith, hope and confidence is in Him."
I want you to know that God loves you so much. He is your loving Father. You can be assured, you can rest and trust Him and know that your future is bright and He has great things in store for you.
Prayer
Dad, thank you for filling my hope tank. You are my Source for hope. My confidence and trust is in You. I thank you for your promise to fill me with joy and peace as I put my hope in you. I thank you God that I will never be empty in the area of hope as I faithfully trust in You. I am ready for the overflow in hope. The overflow, so I may refresh others and point them to you when they feel low in hope. I love you so much. Thank you and Amen.
Hi, my name is Kacie Starr Long. I am an author, speaker and I love to use my voice to point people to Jesus. When I'm not writing, I'm either working out at Orange Theory Fitness or sewing. God delivered me from food addiction and I have a sewing ministry for women who have been previously incarcerated and at-risk teens. I am the proud wife to Alfred T. Long, Sr and together we lead a non-profit that serves prisoners and their families. Connect with me at www.InspiredOverflow.com and via my YouTube page for more daily Christian teachings and encouragement.