God of Hope
Romans 15
God of Hope, Romans 15. In Romans 15:13, it is clear that we have, not only a reasonable basis for hope, but the only true source of all hope is in God, our Father.
Now the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through
the power of the Holy Ghost.
Romans 15:13, KJV
God of Hope
Romans 15
Think about Paul's meaning in calling us to trust in God as our only hope and then abounding in that hope. Hope has no value without a basis for that hope. I may hope for a new car, but that hope means nothing if I do not have a reasonable basis for that hope.
In
Romans 15:13, it is clear that we have, not only a reasonable basis for
hope, but the only true source of all hope is in God our Father. As the
song says,
Oh God our help from ages past,
Our hope for years to come.
Who
is this Source of hope? God! God, who created the heavens and the
earth, did not abandon His creation, but has sustained and kept His
people from Adam to the present, and will continue to do so for
eternity.
What
are the fruits of that hope? Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the
believer is granted joy and peace. This joy and peace sustains and keeps
us through all of the turmoils of life. How does one manage a week in
which their son has surgeries on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and
their spouse has a heart operation on Thursday? Only in Christ can we
fall before God our Father and be filled with joy and peace, knowing
that our God will sustain us through all of our trials.
As a personal comment, this devotion was originally written and appeared in my Daily Bible Devotions blog in 2009. I was that person whose son had three surgeries in the same week that my husband had heart surgery. It is wondrously amazing to me how God has not only sustained me through that difficult time but also in the years to come. We truly cannot live this life without God.
In God we have hope, trust, peace, and joy. And, that hope, trust, peace, and joy is not related to the good (or bad) things that come into our lives. We learn to live above the things of this world, trusting in God, alone, to help and sustain us through our days on this earth. Why? Because we have a better home being prepared for us right now in the eternal realms with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul, the Apostle, wrote the benediction from Romans 15. Though he lived a live of constant turmoil and in danger of his life, he put all of his hope, faith, and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ Who sustained him all of the days of his life. Today, he rests in the arms of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And, so with that assurance, I leave you with Romans 15:13.
Now
the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye
may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
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