“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)

“Now the God of hope fill you”

Not you and I, not anything we do, no amount of self-care or service – true fulfillment is found only in God. Fulfillment comes from God. He is not just a god, but rather the God of hope! Not despair, not hopelessness, not fear, not anxiety – God is a God of hope, and He wants to fill us with joy and peace. Our search for true fulfillment should start with Him.

“with all joy and peace”

Not just a little joy and peace, not just some joy and peace – God longs to fill us with ALL joy and peace. We wonder how that’s possible, but when we consider that He is the God of hope, and that true fulfillment comes from Him, we can begin to understand that He is the giver of all joy and peace. Oh how we look for fulfillment by pursuing puny earthly pleasures when we should be looking to the One from whom joy, peace, and all other gifts originate.

“in believing”

In order for our joy to be full, there is a requirement of us – we must believe! It’s important to note here that believing is very much a verb; believing is a continuous action, not a one-time choice. If we want real joy, we must exercise authentic faith.

“that ye may abound in hope”

Why does the God of hope want to fill us with all joy and peace in believing? So that we may abound in hope! As a result of being filled with true joy and peace from the God of hope, we will abound in hope. Not just a little bit, not merely a glimmer – God wants us to abound in hope. By definition, that means large numbers, great quantities, copiously supplied! As if being filled with true joy and peace weren’t enough, God also promises that we will abound in hope.

“through the power of the Holy Ghost”

Lest we get conceited and think we can bring ourselves any lasting joy, peace, or abounding hope, we need to remember through Whom we receive these gifts: They come through the power of the Holy Ghost. Having a personal relationship with Christ means that we are filled with His Spirit. Our finite minds can’t fathom how truly amazing that is. It’s because of Him that true joy and peace are possible!

Consider what Alexander Maclaren shared about this verse in his Expositions of Holy Scripture: “There are two limits to God’s gifts to men: the one is the limitless limit of God’s infinitude, the other is the working limit – our capacity – and that capacity is precisely measured, as the capacity of some built-in vessel might be measured by a little gauge on the outside, by our faith.” We serve a generous and gracious God.

Originally published as “The God of hope” Minto Express, Independent Plus, Arthur Enterprise-News, Mount Forest Confederate, Walkerton Herald-Times. October 24, 2019: 6. Print. Web.

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