Our devotional in Paul’s prayers and prayer reports continues!
Romans 15:13 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.
This is one of the shortest and yet most wonderful of Paul’s prayers. It is a blessing (to us) to pray this for others. Why don’t you try it now?
Notice a few things:
(1) God is the God of hope – all good praying is grounded in his character, and since he is the God “who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,” then we have every ground for our hope, joy and peace.
(2) When we are filled with joy and peace, then we overflow with hope – hope is not formed in a vacuum, but in receiving the joy and peace that God promises.
(3) He fills us with these things ‘when we trust in him.’ The word trust is the same word that we translate ‘believe’ or ‘have faith’ – it is only those who trust in him who have joy, peace and hope.
(4) The overflow of hope is not something we generate in ourselves – it is ours by the power of the Holy Spirit.
It’s all here – so much of what we want and need, so much of what we want for others, and that they need.
A good song from Downhere: Hope is Rising
My Hope is Built on Nothing Less
An old favorite Michael Card song, just had to make a simple video for this post: Soul Anchor
Skillet says You Are My Hope
