“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

No matter if your world is “normal” or experiencing a global pandemic, we all long for hope. We try to find it under a rock or in another person, but we always seem to fall short. Maybe there’s a reason. And maybe that reason is okay. Maybe St. Augustine was right when he said that “our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”

Rest and hope go hand-in-hand together, like young children taking turns pushing each other on a swing. First, rest invites us to quit white-knuckling our experience and pushes our faith into the realities of hope. It’s from this place that we can move within the direction and guidance of our Father’s voice. Then, when it’s hope’s turn to push, we can be invited into a rest that says, “My work will be accomplished. I have called you to good things. We will do it together, in due time.” 

We have an invitation each day to “abound in hope.” How? Romans 15:13 shows us three things to consider:

• True hope only comes from the Lord: The God of Hope. He is the source of all we desire, being both in control and in love with all of His creation.
• All joy and peace come from believing…from trusting. Don’t be afraid to pray: Lord, give me Your joy and Your peace as I seek to trust and believe in what You’ve said.
• We walk by faith in joy and peace by the empowerment of the Spirit. When empowered by the Spirit, hope is not just an idea: it’s the sweet gift of grace from Your Father in Heaven who cares for you and loves you.

So, friends, we have an opportunity to abound in a hope that has proven itself, as the hymn writer says, “o’er and o’er.” So today, for the first time or for the millionth, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”