Romans 15:13 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.
Hope is one of those Christian words that gets thrown around, and people have an idea of what it means, but they don’t know the full meaning. Many people look at hope as wishful thinking. I hope everything works out, and then we quote Romans 8:28. The Biblical definition of hope isn’t even close to wishful thinking. It is full of promise and power, and it should be one of the three pillars that propel every Christian. Jesus wants you abounding in hope.
The Bible dictionary defines hope this way: “An expectation or belief in the fulfillment of something desired. An expectation or belief in the fulfillment of something desired.” There are two ways that we are filled with hope. First is the belief that Jesus came to earth and died on the cross for our sins. We call that salvation. We have hope because we are new creations in Christ. (2 Cor 5:17) Second, we have hope that one day Jesus will return for His church and we will live with Him for eternity. Hope in the present and the future.
Paul tells us that God is the source of our hope. There is no wishful thinking in the way God operates. He operates in certainty. If that is the case, then we can abound in hope. Hope is the gateway to joy and peace. When we put our hope in Jesus, we are given peace and joy. (See Romans 5:1-5) God is the one who fills you with hope. No person or thing can fill you with hope. That is wishful thinking. They will eventually let you down.
What do you do if you aren’t feeling hopeful? You need to pray to the Holy Spirit. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that we abound in hope. Abounding in Hope means that you are filled to overflowing. When we ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with hope, He does it above and beyond what we could imagine. Are you lacking the hope that comes with new life? Ask. Are you worried about the future? Ask the Spirit to focus your hope on Christ’s return.
