Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

The God Of Hope

One of the basic needs of the human spirit is hope. The comfort of hope is to cherish a desire with anticipation and expectation of obtainment. There is a confidence and trust in a thing promised. The feeling of hopelessness is to despair with no expectation of good or success. A feeling of despondency overwhelms the soul in desperation. There is nothing to live for, desire, or expect with no hope. When Adam and Eve sinned, the first emotion they shared was hopelessness as they faced the presence of God. They hid among the trees of the garden, hearing the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden. There was fear in their hearts. They knew they had disobeyed the command of God and understood the reality of consequence. At the moment, there was no hope.

God punished Adam and Eve, but He did not destroy them. His grace opened the door for salvation through the Seed promise. Throughout the history of man, hope would only be found in the mercy of a loving Father. Noah and his family realized divine hope when God showed them a way to save themselves. The ark was a covenant of promise resting on the hope of salvation. David and Bathsheba faced the anger of God for their actions but found grace in His eyes and lived with hope. The nation of Israel lived in the hope of God’s mercy as the prophets warned them against turning away from Him. A remnant was restored and the Seed promise secured. Jesus opened His arms to the world dying on the cross to give every person the hope of eternal life. His Father is the God of hope and peace to all who will come to His Son in obedience.

Hope is the reality of the promises of God. Men make promises and often break them. When God makes a promise, His word is eternal. God is the Father of hope through the evidence of His word that has never failed. Jesus died for every man regardless of nationality, race, gender, or condition. All men can come to Christ and, through obedient faith, receive the remission of sins. Hope comes from the knowledge of God’s cleansing power. There is nothing man has done that God will not forgive if the heart is repentant and willing to obey His word. That is the measure of hope from a God full of love. The hope found in God brings peace and joy in believing. There is only one source of true hope and that comes from the bosom of the Father.

Reading the word of God and learning of the hope found in Christ, the troubled heart will discover the real meaning of life. So many people live hopeless lives, aimlessly wandering through life with no peace and fearful of death. God brings hope to the troubled soul. He is the source of lasting peace. Through the power of the Holy Spirit granted in the waters of baptism, the soul longs for and receives the peace that passes understanding. The reality of God’s peace is that it is beyond the comprehension of men to understand; yet it is more powerful than anything a man can know.

Paul’s prayer is a powerful message of hope. He asks for the God of hope to fill the hearts of the Roman saints with all the joy and peace that comes from knowing and believing how much God loves them. Hope is something that must abound in the life of the child of God. There are no reasons to doubt God or to distrust His word. Everything God promises comes true. Hope, joy, and peace come from the God of hope who promises eternal life. There is no fear of the trials of life and the reality of death. Hope takes the eye of faith and places it in the bosom of God with great security. Hope in God and you will never faint. Trust in the Lord and you will never grow weary. God is the Lord of hope.